“Where Are They Now” – Shelby Bourn

The "Where Are They Now" Wells College Athletics series puts a spotlight on the alumni and alumnae to give the Wells community an inside look at some of its many special student-athletes from years past. We would love to tell your story knowing that part of you journey began with us! Today's segment features Shelby Bourn.

Shelby Bourn was a member of the Wells College field hockey and basketball teams. The chemistry that she brought to the fields, courts and classrooms is undeniable. On the field she was part of a NEAC champion field hockey team in 2015, on the court she was part of a NEAC champion women's basketball team in 2014 and upon graduation in 2016, she was awarded the Nancy Ann Reed Prize in chemistry.

Academically, she was part of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III National Academic Squad, while her athletic abilities helped her garner several conference and team awards. Shelby was recently named to the 2020 Wells College Field Hockey All-Decade Team. Athletics is still a busy part of her life today. When she's not fulfilling her role as an academy advancement coordinator, she's coaching field hockey, basketball or lacrosse, depending on the season.

In a brief question and answer segment with Shelby, we asked her to reflect on her time at Wells in looking back, while at the same time offering some advice to current and future Wells College student-athletes:

Wells College teams participated on and year of participation: Field Hockey 2012-2015 (4 seasons), Basketball 2012-2014 (2 seasons).

Athletic and/or academic awards: 2012 Rookie of the Year, 2013 MVP, 2015 MVP, 2015 NEAC Defensive Player of the Year, 2015 NEAC All-Conference Team, 2015 NEAC Player of the Week, 2015 ZAG Sports / National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III National Academic Squad, and the Nancy Ann Reed Class of '50 Chemistry Prize recipient.

Current occupation: I work for a private high school in Virginia as the Records & Stewardship Coordinator in the Office of Advancement at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. We raise money for the school through fundraising campaigns and special events. For my job, I process the donations from start to finish; making sure they are applied to the correct fund, acknowledging the donor and balancing with the business office while also assisting with our events throughout the year. I'm also the head varsity field hockey coach, assistant varsity girls lacrosse coach and the assistant Middle School girls basketball coach.

Reasons for choosing Wells to continue your athletic career: I chose to attend Wells because it felt right. When I visited Wells, I learned about all the traditions and saw the small tight knit community that Wells is and I knew I would love it there. The campus is so beautiful and the team was so welcoming that it was hard to picture myself going to school anywhere else.

Favorite memory of Wells College: It is hard to pick one favorite memory from my time at Wells. I was a part of two NEAC conference championship teams, basketball (2013-2014) and field hockey (2015), and those experiences with your team that you worked so hard to accomplish are hard to beat.

Advice you would give to current Wells College Student-Athletes: Wells has so many amazing traditions and events that allowed me to experience more than just life as an athlete and also allowed me to spend time with people besides those that were on my team. My advice is to go to as many of those events as you can. Some of them may not seem like they would interest you but you will be surprised! I had so much fun going to everything from plays and acapella concerts to different sporting events that I typically wouldn't watch. Take advantage of being able to attend a variety of different events and meeting people outside of your team. There is no place like Wells- enjoy it while you can!