Meredith (Wrightson ‘10) Dassoulas, an alumna of the college, devoted wife, and mother of two, reflects on how her experience as a student athlete at Lancaster Bible College shaped her life.
As both an athlete on the basketball and soccer teams and a sport management major during her time at Lancaster Bible College, Meredith (Wrightson ‘10) Dassoulas spent a lot of time both thinking about and playing sports. “Being a student athlete really developed me in a lot of ways,” she explained.
Of course, there were the lessons she learned in the classroom. “My core classes in the sports management program had the most impact educationally. The assignments were practical, interesting, and useful,” said Dassoulas. But there were other important lessons that she learned through athletics that she says continue to impact her. “I learned humility, I learned defeat, I learned how to work with others and lead others who had differing views and abilities than myself,” she explained, “And I learned to push myself, work hard and not give up. I had many ups and many downs in my four year athletic career, [but] I developed character. I had to learn the hard way that I was not the best, not always right, and sometimes straight up wrong. I am thankful that I learned these important life lessons in college before I entered the working world.” All these lessons, she said, proved to be quite useful on the job.
Following graduation, Dassoulas held several jobs, including as working in special education in the public county school system. She credits her education and experiences at LBC as the primary reason she landed the positions. “My education prepared me to approach job opportunities and life events with my personality showing first,” she explained. “LBC prepared me to market myself. I discovered who I was at college, what I was passionate about, and they impact and legacy I wanted to leave behind.” Now, Dassoulas is busy doling out life lessons to her two young children as a stay at home mother. But her formational experiences at LBC have inspired her to give back to college.
Alumni events and connections with college friends and faculty kept her college experience fresh in her mind. “Through those post-college reunions, I saw LBC growing,” said Dassoulas enthusiastically. “I wanted to be a part of that growth.” Recalling her own time as an athlete motivated her to contribute to the development of future Chargers. “I spent so much time in the Horst Athletic Center and made so many memories.” All those hours spent in the gym during college culminate into directing her gift to what she was most passionate about: the Athletic Department.
When we asked her what recent graduates should consider when giving to LBC, she said “Find the department, student, event, fundraiser, or the mission trip with which you feel most connected with and were excited about and support it! Then, watch how God use that gift to bless others just as you were blessed.”