Christine Bender '08's First Year in Med School

Happy Holidays everyone! We hope you are enjoying the season and time with family and friends. This week we heard from 2008 graduate Christine Bender about her busy life in Medical School:

1. Where are you in Med. School?
Christine: I am at University of New England, located on the southern coast of the great (and wintery) state of Maine.

2. Overall how has your first term gone?

Christine: The first trimester went well. We are well into the second and it is hard to believe I am halfway through my first year. All in all I like school and have great classmates.

3. Have you thought about what concentration of medicine you'd like to focus on? Christine: I am interested in orthopedics and sports med. But I am keeping an open mind to everything at this point. I'll probably have a much better idea once I start rotations during my third year (so perhaps another blog entry then!)

4. Did you always know that you wanted to be a Doctor?

Christine: Hmmm. Well no, but I am not exactly sure when I figured that out. It had been in the back of my mind for several years but I always questioned whether or not it was something I actually wanted to pursue. Even last year I was still a little unsure about it. But fortunately I think it's been a good choice so far!

5. What do you do in your free time (if you have any!)?
Christine: Free time??? I am no longer familiar with that concept. But I guess I had been finding some time to run...mostly along the fabulous beach right by school. I also played some IM flag football throughout the fall...but that led to an unfortunate incident. I somehow managed to tear my ACL so I'm now having that surgery right before Christmas. Occassionally I would go home (only about an hour away) for a weekend to see the fam and dog and get some good meals. Immediately following a week of block exams, my class generally manages to have some fun...I won't bore you with details, but these are by far the best weekends. I was planning on getting a ski pass for the winter but looks like that plan has changed...guess it leaves more time for studying.

6. Have you kept up with Women's Lax Alumnae?

Christine: Yup. Mostly the 08'ers...a classy bunch.

7. What's the biggest thing you miss about W&L and/or Lexington?
Christine: Hmmm...Utah, lax, Goshen, the colonnade, warm weather, the Chessie trail, Lex Coffee, our field, spring term (we dont exactly have that here)....I'm sure the list could go on.

8. Anything else you'd like Generals fans, players, parents and alumnae to know?
Christine: Well yes. A bunch of my classmates and I are going on a Medlife trip to Peru this summer. We basically hire a local doctor there and set up clinics in different villages each day where we treat the locals. In the past, it has been a huge success and hundreds of people line up at these clinics to get treatment they might not otherwise receive. It is an incredible opportunity to get clinical exposure and see things medically that we will probably otherwise never get to see in the US. Anyway, we have to raise money for trip costs and medical supplies to take with us, so if anyone would be willing to donate to this trip, I would be very appreciative. Donations can be made at: https://owa.wlu.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=8ea52d7f61f648e2b88152bb643740c4&URL=https%3a%2f%2fwww.paypal.com%2fcgi-bin%2fwebscr%3fcmd%3d_s-xclick%26hosted_button_id%3d10633843
Thanks and happy holidays!!!

Lisa Dowling Costello '93 - Catching Up With W&L's 1st All-American

This week we heard about how former Generals Women's Lacrosse player Lisa Dowling Costello '93 is enjoying life in Baltimore, MD and staying in touch with the game:

1. Where do you currently live?

Lisa: In Baltimore, where I grew up.

2. In what career field are you currently working?

Lisa: I am currently working in retail – actually two separate part time jobs. One is for a friend and W&L classmate of mine, Josh Levinson, who owns a running store called Charm City Run (check out their web site!!) The other is for a jewelry store in my neighborhood. I also coach lacrosse in the spring at Notre Dame Prep.

3.Have you been in the same area/career field since graduation?

Lisa: No I taught school here for 5 years and then left to have my daughter, Lilly, who is now 9.

4.What do you like to do in your free time?

Lisa: Wow, hard to say. I am trying to become a more enthusiastic runner although as Jan Hathorn can attest, that day may never come. In the summer, we are big beach people!

5. What has been the biggest milestone in your life since graduating from W&L?

Lisa: Having a child – it makes you reprioritize as well as analyze your life!!

6. Are you still involved in lacrosse at all?

Lisa: Yes I still coach Varsity lacrosse at NDP here in Baltimore – it is a great spring job and I love being around the girls and the game! It is amazing to have seen the progress of women’s lacrosse over the years. I am lucky that some of my players have ended up at W&L, Annie Rochfort, Daley Formby and Rachel Wallick to name a few.

7. Have you made it back to campus recently?

Lisa: Not too recently but my husband (Tom ’91) and I are hoping to get down there and see the new Wilson field and all the changes this spring!

8. Do you keep in touch with your fellow Generals Alums?

Lisa: Definitely. Baltimore is W&L north in a lot of ways so I am fortunate to see a lot of Generals on a regular basis. As for my former teammates, we still email and facebook and laugh about our old antics.

9. Anything else you'd like Generals' fans, players or parents to know?

Lisa: Just what a great experience W&L was and how much I loved playing D3 sports. It enabled me to become a bigger impact player without sacrificing my “life” to the sport. And how happy I am to have seen the women's lacrosse program’s continued success over the years – it was fun to have been there in the beginning!

Sarah Tilbor '08's Life in Washington DC

This week we spoke with 2008 graduate Sarah Tilbor about living and working in D.C. and her continued involvement in and love for lacrosse:
1. How long have you been living in D.C.?

Sarah: I have been living in DC since graduation from W&L in June 2008.

2. What are you doing there?

Sarah: I am working as an environmental consultant at a DC-based company. My main client is Department of Energy. I set up trainings and collect data for industrial energy efficiency. We just started a new contract for “Save Energy Now,” which was launched in early December at the Capitol.

3. What's your favorite thing about living there?

Sarah: My favorite thing about being in DC is being surrounded by all different cultures. I love running to Dupont then up Massachusetts Avenue, which is lined with Embassies. I can eat any kind of food any day of the week… it is GREAT!

4. What do you like to do in your free time and on weekends?

Sarah: It depends on the time of year. I enjoy trying new restaurants/types of food and music venues/music. The music scene is awesome; it is great to have so many options every night of the week. I also enjoy getting out of the city to hike and camp. DC is only an hour and a half from the Shenandoah National Park, which has some great hikes!

5. Have you kept in touch with your '08 class?

Sarah: I have! I love keeping in touch with everyone in my class. Every time I talk to someone new, there is a new adventure – new job, new goal, new location. One is a banker, lacrosse coach, Peace Corp volunteer… it is so interesting and inspirational to see how lives can change in such a short time. I have had the opportunity to visit with almost all of my teammates since graduation, including a trip out to Colorado to see Bender and Katherine.

6. Have you stayed involved in lacrosse in some way?

Sarah: Have I ever! I currently coach a competitive club team in the DC-Metro area called Capital Lacrosse Club. Many W&L girls played in similar leagues while in high school. This team takes up much of my free time during the fall and summer. I also coach private lessons for goalies in the area. It has been interesting seeing the other side of the recruiting process. And I love seeing the W&L coaches at tournaments. Whenever I see a Trident, my smile widens.

7. What is the biggest thing you miss about W&L?

Sarah: I miss being in such close proximity to so many of my best friends. I miss waking up and being able to jump on my teammates and friends to rally them for the day. I miss the close proximity to the mountains. But mostly, I miss my best friends.

8. Plan to make it back on campus for a game in the spring?

Sarah: I do! I plan on getting to a few games close to DC and I plan on visiting for ODACs!

9. Anything else you would like Generals players, parents or fans to know?

Sarah: Generals – don’t put off the things you want to do while at college. Life after college isn’t as bad as you think. But it isn’t like W&L. Live it up and love the process. It’s a great day to be a General! L4L!

Checking in in the off-season.

It's been a few weeks since the blog has checked in with our 2009-2010 team so here's an update on what they've been up to here on campus:

Hard work! The Generals' Women's Lacrosse team has made a big commitment to their preparation in the off-season. Led by our Captains and Upperclassmen, the members of our team have been demonstrating just how much they aim to achieve this season through their efforts. They've been fully invested in attending speed, agility and quickness sessions offered by the University as well as improving their strength in the weight room. From the looks of things it appears that this team has taken to heart the motto "create your own destiny." Be prepared to expect BIG things from them this spring!

We've also welcomed back our fall sport student athletes and they have already begun to make big motivational impacts. Junior Captain Emmy Mathews (Batimore, MD/Bryn Mawr School), Junior Kate Donnelly (Houston, TX/St. John's School), Sophomore Christina Benedetti (Derwood, MD/Academy of the Holy Cross) and First-Year Ashley Barnes (Annapolis, MD/St. Mary's HS) enjoyed a hard-earned 10-7 record with the Generals' Field Hockey team, advancing to the Semi-Final of the ODAC Championships before falling to Eastern Mennonite. Emmy Mathews earned second team All-ODAC recognition for her play this season. First-Year Sarah Stiefvater joins us from the Generals' Women's Soccer team who bolstered a tremendous 17-2-3 record, an ODAC Championship and a trip to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. They are all shifting into lacrosse gear and we're excited to have them back!

The team has also dedicated their time outside of the classroom and gym to other efforts deserving a hand. The Student Athletic Advisory Council teamed up with W&L athletic teams and members of the community to send Soldier Care Packages to our troops abroad. Senior Meredith Freeman (St. Louis, MO/MICDS) played an extraordinary role in organizing and rallying support, as did Head Coach Brooke Diamond. Our team was responsible for supplying Little Debbie-like snacks, which we did a fabulous job of.

We continue to stay in touch with Maggie, our Friends of Jaclyn adoptee. The Captains organized sending her a Halloween care package and Thanksgiving cards and we also often use Facebook to hear about what she's doing as well as keep her posted on how things are in Lexington.

Thanks for checking in and we hope that you all continue to get excited for the spring!