April 19, 2010

Each week, the staff at GoLeopards.com catches up with a student-athlete. Today we caught up with junior field hockey player Kelsey Andersen. The Biology major talked studying abroad, the potato famine, chocolate chip cookies and more.

What's your major and what do you like about your major? I'm a Biology major with a Healthcare and Society minor. I love my major because the study of life can be so diverse. The Biology program at Lafayette has given me a chance to study large-scale subjects such ecology and evolution while also being able to explore subjects as specific as immunology and anatomy. My minor allows me to take a closer look at the social implications of the scientific knowledge that I have acquired.

What's been your most interesting class so far this semester? My most interesting class this semester is by far the independent research project that I'm doing with Dr. Manuel Ospina-Giraldo in the Biology department. I am basically studying pathogen-host interactions between the oomycete Phytophthora infestans and the potato plant. This fungal pathogen was the cause of the potato famine that occurred in Ireland in the 1840's and still poses a major threat to crops today. The independent part of this project has really taught me a lot about the creative aspects of scientific research that you don't get a chance to see in the entry-level courses.

What's been the most unique or interesting out-of-classroom project (academic-based) that you've been able to work on at Lafayette? This past summer I had the amazing opportunity to go to London in the interim healthcare course that Lafayette offers. Although the class on comparative healthcare was very interesting, I also was able to get a Pediatric Occupational Therapy internship. This internship gave me a unique opportunity to work in a variety of diverse school and hospital settings in London and to meet some extraordinary people. I also was able to play field hockey while I was abroad which was an added bonus.

What is your earliest field hockey memory? I think I've been hit a few too many times in the helmet to remember, but I'm sure it was a good one!

What can you take from your sport and incorporate into everyday life? As a goalkeeper I encounter success and failure on a daily basis. There's a very thin line between saving a goal and conceding a goal and between winning and losing. Learning to keep my emotions in check in all scenarios is something that will continue to benefit me in all aspects of my life.

What do you still wish to accomplish (on or off the field)? That's easy. Win a Patriot League Championship.

My pregame ritual is... I pick one song every season that I listen to right before I start to warm up. I'm not very superstitious but I need to wear my black bandana for every game.

Most embarrassing thing that's happened to me on the field hockey field is: I usually feel pretty stupid when my goal blows over.

Best prank you or a teammate has pulled off: All of our team pranks revolve around trying to pull one over on our coach. My former teammates Jaclyn DiSanti and Lauren Jones got away with some of the best but Ali Schoch will never stop trying.

Sport you would play other than your own: I played lacrosse and ran track in high school but I think I'd like to try something new, maybe rugby?

Something about me that others would be surprised to hear is: My dream is to be Lafayette's center forward.

Favorite midnight snack? Anything chocolate.

Favorite TV show as a kid? Doug

Go-to karaoke song? Anything on my teammate Emily Valeo's ipod, so most likely something by Justin Bieber.

Food you can't live without? My roommate and former teammate Emily Simon's chocolate chip cookies.

Word Association:

Lafayette: Home

Lafayette-Lehigh: No competition

Field Hockey: Love

Teammates: Family

Offseason: Prowlers