As a Business and Enterprise Management major, member of Tri Delta sorority and Division 1 athlete, Caroline Kuhn truly does it all. Not to mention that she is the first Demon Deacon selected to represent Wake Forest on SAAC, the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, where she provides insight on the student-athlete experience nationwide. On the court, she has been a consistent all-around player, leading the team with 27 service aces and 103 digs last year. The North Carolina native explained that while managing her various activities is tough, she wouldn’t have it any other way and is proud to be a part of such a strong team with the potential to go far this season.
Lucy Nelson: How do you manage Division 1 sports, the business school and Greek life?
Caroline Kuhn: That’s a very good question. So, obviously school and my sport come first. I’m really grateful that I had the opportunity to rush in the first place. I’ve met so many great people through Tri Delt, and it ended up being a really good escape for me — if I had a bad day of practice or something and I needed to take a step back from my sport for even just an hour a day. I mean, we have lift in the morning and classes crammed in between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. every day, and then we’re in the gym for four hours after that for film and practice. I don’t really have time for much else. But the support we have through the Miller Center staff and the tutors is absolutely incredible, and I think it’s something really unique about Wake Forest among Division 1 schools — they really place value on the education part of the student-athlete experience. Getting into the business school is definitely one of the things I’m most proud of because we all know how tough accounting is around campus. And I had a cool little system with accounting because three of my teammates are actually in the business school, too. I’ve definitely had a lot of good guidance behind me going forward.
LN: What’s something you wished more people knew about the team?
CK: I think one thing that’s really unique about my team is that we are friends with lots of other teams. My suite right now is pretty much half and half volleyball and field hockey, whereas a lot of teams stick to living just together.
LN: What has been your favorite moment on the court in your past three years as a Deacon?
CK: I would definitely have to say upsetting Miami last year has been my favorite moment to this day. I mean, those are the moments that keep the game so fun, and just to get to experience that with my team was absolutely unreal, and I’m really lucky to have been a part of something like that.
LN: What’s your goal for the season?
CK: I think my goal overall for the year is to really just let loose and let myself play, and stop thinking so much about my mistakes and start celebrating everyone else’s accomplishments.
LN: What does it mean to you to put on the Demon Deacon jersey?
CK: This is really special to me. My recruiting process to get here was absolutely a horror story. A lot of girls commit their sophomore or junior year of high school and I was the absolute last one in my class to commit. I was committed to Virginia for over a year. I was all in, and thought, “They’ll find me a scholarship, and everything will work out.” Throughout that process, it just became more and more evident as the year went on that it was not going to happen. I remember breaking down in front of my mom one night on the way back from the usual hour-and-a-half commute to my club team practice in Raleigh. I called the Virginia coach and asked him if he had a spot for me with a scholarship and he said no, and I decommitted. Long story short, I had been in contact with the Wake Forest coach, Bill Ferguson, and explained my situation to him. He called me one day and a scholarship had opened up, and everything just fell right into place and I knew this is where I was meant to be. So, coming back to the question of what it means to me to put on the Deacon jersey … I think it’s a testament to how everything happens for a reason, and good things come to those who wait and work hard.
