BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The next alum in the Moravian College Department of Athletics & Recreation's Get to Know Series is former women's volleyball student-athlete Amy Lawrence from the Class of 2004. Lawrence is Moravian's school record holder in assists with 4,682 and service aces with 229, and she is seventh all-time with 1,335 digs. Lawrence was a three-time Commonwealth All-Conference First Team honoree as a setter.
Amy Lawrence
Class: 2004
How did you choose the sport you played when you were growing up? The neighborhood in which I grew up had a community pool, playground, and sand volleyball courts. Every summer from about 4th grade and up, my friends and I would gather at the pool and sand courts to swim and play volleyball each day. There were a group of high school kids that came frequently, and we younger kids would watch them play with admiration. We helped the high school kids chase after their balls during their games, and eventually, they let us younger kids play with them. We all mixed up and the high school kids coached us and taught us the game. We played all afternoon until we had to be home for dinner. As we grew older, there were many evenings we would gather back at the courts and play under the lights. There were a group of us at my elementary/middle school who loved the game and wanted to learn more; however, our school did not have a team. We expressed our interest to a woman who was heavily involved in our school's basketball program, and she agreed to be our coach. When I was in the eighth grade, our school started its volleyball program, and I was hooked!
Why did you choose to come to Moravian College? When I was in high school and began the college search, I received a pamphlet in the mail for Moravian College. I checked out the website, investigated the mathematics and education programs, read about Shelley and the Greyhound volleyball team, and decided I wanted to visit. My parents and I took a day and made a loop through Pennsylvania and visited a few schools. When I stepped on campus and walked through the Quad for the first time, I remember having a feeling that immediately caused a huge smile to spread across my face. My parents took one look at me and we all just knew. Moravian had been my favorite school of the day and the one I compared all others to for the next few months. Soon after the visit with my parents, I scheduled a day to get a tour and stay overnight with a member of the volleyball team. From day one, I just had that feeling of belonging and being at home at Moravian. I liked that I could get my BS in mathematics while earning my teaching certification. I always wanted to be a math teacher, and I liked how Moravian's education courses got students in the classroom early to acquire many hours of observations and collaboration with educators before the adventure of student-teaching.
What experiences as a student-athlete at Moravian helped prepare you for life after college? I think managing time and being able to prioritize tasks are important aspects of life that I developed as a student-athlete. As a teacher, coach, mother, wife, daughter, and friend, life is all about juggling your roles. I also think being on a team and working closely with a group of people who have similar goals have helped me develop as a teacher. I have 9 other math teachers in my department, and collaborating is a key element of effective teaching. I believe being on Moravian's volleyball team has helped me appreciate collaborating with others and pushed me to encourage others to do the same.
How did you get into your current occupation? From as early as I can remember, I always wanted to be a math teacher. I used to make my younger sister play school, and I always had her doing math problems! Also, I grew up babysitting and being a lifeguard as summer jobs; so, I have always enjoyed working with children. In addition to my high school math teachers instilling a love of mathematics in me, my dad was a teacher and a football coach my entire life; so, all through my childhood I was surrounded by educators, mathematicians, and coaches who influenced me on my journey. All of these people and experiences helped me decide to pursue mathematics and education at Moravian. While attending Moravian, I worked for the Summerbridge program for two summers. My cooperating teachers during observations and student-teaching in the Lehigh Valley were supportive and encouraging. I have worked at many volleyball camps and clinics over the years as well. I believe the education department at Moravian provided me with numerous and diverse experiences to develop a love of teaching and a diverse skill set.
What was your favorite place on campus? Other than the gym, I loved the ceramics room. I always enjoyed art classes in high school, but it was Moravian's South Campus where I fell in love with clay and ceramics! I took two classes during my years at Moravian. Other than volleyball and exercising, ceramics was an outlet to relieve the stresses of an intense mathematics major and juggling all of the obstacles college can bring. I have very fond memories of getting up early, jogging or walking the one mile to south campus and entering the studio knowing I was going to spend a few hours getting my hands dirty and creating. I found peace and calmness when I was throwing clay on the wheel. Renzo and the ceramics classes helped me develop a new hobby; one I have continued over the years with my husband and children.
What activities/organizations were you involved in at Moravian College as a student-athlete? Volleyball team, Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Eta Sigma, Moravian's Mathematical Society and Pi Mu Epsilon, Phone-a-thon and development office, peer tutor in the writing center, Resident Advisor and Special Olympics Volleyball volunteer during my summers at home
What was your most memorable moment at Moravian? During volleyball season of my senior year, I severely sprained my ankle during practice. The injury ended my college career on the court, but through cheering on my teammates while I recovered, I got to learn more about the game, my team, and myself. It's during those moments in life when we are facing adversity that we have an opportunity to grow and learn.
What advice do you have for prospective student-athletes looking to attend Moravian College? Make time to go visit and stay overnight with a team-member, if possible. I learned a lot about the culture of the school and team I hoped to join. I got a better sense of the mathematics, education, and volleyball programs from talking with the other girls with similar interests/areas of study. I know it was only two days that I was with the girls on the volleyball team, but I was able to get a good idea of their character and values and the caliber of individuals Shelley recruits to play for her and the hounds, and I knew I wanted to be a part of that. I knew playing volleyball under Shelley and with those girls would help me develop as a person and an athlete.
What advice do you have for current student-athletes as they approach graduation? Find a way to share your passion for your sport with others. You will miss playing at the college level - I sure do! Join a rec league in your area and have fun enjoying the sport that you have played for so long! Volunteer and give back to the youth in your area to help foster a love of your sport in others. I have had a lot of fun through the years volunteering with Special Olympics, helping at volleyball clinics, coaching club volleyball, coaching in the district in which I teach, and teaching my own children the game. I find joy in watching others grow to love the sport that I love!
What is the best piece of advice you've been given? One summer before starting our family, my husband and I lived with a potter, Bill Knoble, in New York. We helped run his studio while we experienced the beauty of the Adirondack Mountain region. Bill always told us, when you have a family of your own, don't stop doing the things you like to do - just take your kids with you. On a visit a few years later after the birth of our first child, Bill's sister also gave us some parental advice. She told us to live by three words. "Books", "dirt", and "no". After that visit we hung those three words on our refrigerator. We continue to work hard raising our children to love learning, to enjoy and appreciate being outside in nature, and to learn and understand their role in our family, their community, and in the world.
Who are your role models/most influential people? My parents and grandparents have been the most influential people in my life. Their character and values are what I model my own life after and what I hope to pass on to my children. My mom was a nurse, my father a teacher/administrator, my grandmothers were both stay-at-home mothers who raised amazing families, my grandfathers were a postman and an employee of Harley Davidson. They taught me family always comes first. They all had tenacious work ethics and taught me to set goals and work hard to achieve them. They taught me how to be kind and accepting of all people, to give and make sacrifices for others, and to show my love for people by sharing my gifts and talents and my time.
Which three people, living or dead, would you like to share a meal with? Mother Teresa, Bill Knoble, Kamala Harris
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise most people. Our family moved to Saudi Arabia for a year and taught for Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools. Our family was immersed in the culture of the Middle East, and we learned a lot about the Muslim customs and religion. We grew as individuals and as a family during our time there, and we met so many amazing people. We feel so blessed to have had that opportunity.
Quick Hits:
Favorite Color – Orange
Favorite Food – Salad and Pizza
Favorite TV Show – Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Parenthood, This is Us
Favorite Musical Artist – oh so many! Dave Matthews Band, Mumford and Sons, The Head and the Heart, The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men, OAR, and the list goes on :)
Hobbies – anything outdoors, gardening, hiking, biking, camping, running, ceramics/art, playing volleyball and ultimate frisbee
Most Prized Possession – my children
Ideal Travel Destination – New Zealand
Your Spirit Animal – I had to take an online quiz to figure this out :) I never investigated this before :) My spirit animal is a wolf!
Superpower you'd Like to Have – flying
