College of Nursing Student-Athlete Makes USA National Coed Cheerleading Team
Whether it be halftime at a University of Kentucky basketball game or a day off from class, undergraduate nursing senior and UK cheerleader Emily Sawyer studies every second she gets.
Sawyer, from Lexington, always dreamed of attending UK and was inspired to apply for nursing school following her mother and grandmother who were also nurses. Sawyer’s mother, who worked in obstetrics (OB) at UK, struggled with addiction and recently finished rehab.
“Last semester when I did my OB at UK, I worked with the nurses who worked with my mother,” Sawyer said. “They told me she was a great nurse and a great person to work with, and that meant so much to me and deepened my commitment to nursing.”
Now, Sawyer is continuing her mother’s and grandmother’s legacy as she pursues her own nursing career. “After talking to those nurses, my whole perspective changed. I really just wanted to pick up where my mother left off.”
Sawyer’s commitment to cheerleading is just as strong. She won her second college cheerleading national championship—UK’s 21st—in January and returned to Lexington as one of the newest members of the USA National Coed Cheerleading Team.
“The tryout for the National Coed Team was the morning after the college championship,” said Sawyer. “I never imagined I’d make it because there were so many good cheerleaders. They were the best of the best.”
The U.S. National Coed Team will compete in April at the International Cheer Union World Cheerleading Championship in Orlando against teams from all over the globe. Joining Sawyer from UK is current cheerleader Dylan Smith and former cheerleader Jacquilyn Lopez. Sawyer and Lopez are two of 13 females on the team.
Although World’s is the week before finals, Sawyer is confident she will succeed both on the mat and in the classroom. “My coach and teammates are always so supportive of me and they understand that nursing is a lot of work,” Sawyer said. “I’ve made a lot of sacrifices but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Sawyer will graduate in December of 2016 and plans to first obtain a position as an RN close to home and later attend school to be a midwife.
Photo on right taken by Dr. Michael Huang Photography.
