Senior Kylie Lamberty is on the cusp of graduation, and she has never been so excited about the future. Lamberty entered Gustavus in 2015 and has spent the last four years taking on leadership roles on the soccer field, in the classroom, and throughout the entire Gustavus campus, as Lamberty served as one of Student Senate’s Co-Presidents.

“I always knew I wanted to play soccer at Gustavus,” Lamberty said.

Before college, Lamberty played for her own high school team, but loved the sport so much that she also began playing for a club in her hometown of Sioux Falls. At Gustavus, Lamberty plays as a forward and has served as captain of the team for the past two years.

“My least favorite thing about soccer is all the running, but as a sport it is so rewarding. I love how you really get to know your teammates because you learn how they move. When all the pieces fit together it is so beautiful. It takes so much work to get a goal, so when it does happen, the moment is so magical, and we know we only did it because of our work as a team,” Lamberty said.

“I first met Kylie four years ago at our Gustavus Summer Soccer Camp. It was the summer going into my senior year of high school, and I was considering going to Gustavus. Kylie immediately took me under her wing. She was so kind to me, included me in everything, made me feel welcomed, and told me all I needed to know about Gustavus. Before the camp was over, I knew that Gustavus was the place for me, and truthfully it was because she showed me that”, Junior Abby Mullenbach said.

“As a teammate she is our source of advice, our listening ear, our shoulder to cry on, and our personal supporter and motivator. She really is the ideal teammate, and she is able to be this for every person on our team so effortlessly. She is able to make a unique connection with everyone, and she uses that connection to motivate them on and off the field,” Mullenbach said.

After one of her teammates was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Lamberty was eager to rally with the team to create a charity game to support their beloved team member. The team still participates in charity games to raise money for cancer research.

Soccer coach Laura Burnett-Kurie is beyond proud of the work her forward has done over the last four years.

“We constantly talk about who we want to be as people and as a program, specifically about the positive contributions we can make within the greater community. Kylie has embraced this focus and helped turn our vision into a reality. She continually finds opportunities to volunteer, provide emotional support to her teammates, and represent herself and our team in a positive way on and off the field. I know Kylie will do great things in her future and her legacy will live on in our program,” Burnett-Kurie said.

Another way Lamberty contributes to the athletic community at Gustavus is through her work with SAVE, or the Student Athlete Volunteer Educators program.

In this role, Lamberty acts as a resource and a mentor to her team in general, but especially incoming freshmen.

“College sports are so different than high school sports when you factor in the different stresses of college,” Lamberty said.

“When you’re in high school all day, you go to so many classes and then sports after school. In college, you have to be much more aware of how you juggle your free time with homework, clubs, volunteering, classes, and a social life. It’s so different and I really want to help people make that high school to college transition easier in any way I can,” Lamberty said.

Lamberty is also known around campus for her impact as one of Student Senate’s Co-Presidents.

“We first met through Student Senate our sophomore year and then we had some political science classes together. She was that one student who talked about how bad her test went and used to end up getting 102/100-I don’t know how she managed to get that, but somehow, she did,” her Co-President, Senior Ehsan Ali Asghar said.

“Kylie always is there for everyone, and that’s the best part. It does not matter if she is talking to the board of trustees or she’s talking to a custodian; She’s the same person with everyone, which I really appreciate. Other than that, she is always up for bringing some new ideas to make Gustavus a more inclusive place like her idea to create the Gustavus Leadership Coalition,” Asghar said.

With a job awaiting her after graduation, once Lamberty walks across the stage on June 1, she will move to Minneapolis to take on her role as a reinsurance broker.

With a major in biology and a minor in Political Science, Lamberty’s personal goals within her educational pathway have always been finding ways to help others.

As a reinsurance broker Lamberty will help companies transfer risk so they are better equipped to aid others in time of catastrophe.

Excited to take on this new position, Lamberty hopes her new job will help her gain skills that will one day let her work in a non-profit setting in the business sector.

“The end goal is to be able to help as many people as possible,” Lamberty said.