What Will She Do Now?
4/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 13, 2001
One of the biggest questions that every college graduate has upon graduation is, "What will I do now?" Some of them know exactly what they are going to do - get a job, go to graduate school, get married. Others are not so sure. MSU women's tennis team member senior Natasha Skogerboe has a pretty good idea what she wants to do, but graduation will definitely bring some changes for this great tennis player.
Growing up in Minnesota, Skogerboe knew that she wanted to go to college in the mid-west. She also wanted to have the opportunities that a large university offers. That is why she chose MSU.
"MSU is a large university with many great things to offer," Skogerboe said. "I was drawn to the honors' college and educational opportunities that I saw here. I also liked the campus and the way that East Lansing is kind of a college town."
The only bad thing about going to school so far from home was that Skogerboe's parents could not attend as many matches as they would have liked. That did not stop them from being supportive parents though.
"They always were in full support of me. They never put pressure on me to win - only on hard work and always trying my best," said Skogerboe. "I have always felt their support in that way."
Skogerboe's parents were very influential in her start in tennis as well. Always giving her the choice of what sports to play, they did not get her started in tennis until the age of 10, despite having two other daughters involved in tennis at earlier ages.
"I actually got kind of a late start," claims Skogerboe. "But I was surrounded by tennis constantly because everyone in my family played - so it was only a matter of time before I wanted to be a part of it too. My sisters played, so I wanted to do the same thing they were doing."
Having two sisters with Division I tennis experience (Sonya at Valparaiso University and Cindy at Drake University) may make for some interesting friendly games at home after her bout at MSU. But Skogerboe admits that one of the hardest things about graduating from MSU will be leaving behind the competition that Division I tennis provides.
"I will miss the competition that I have everyday, the competition at practice and in the Big Ten is so awesome and fun to be involved with. I will also miss all of the facilities at MSU and being able to get coached everyday," she said.
Of course there are other things Skogerboe will miss too, like teammates and friends.
"I definitely had a lot of fun on road trips and over our spring breaks with the team," she stated. "And I will never forget when my friends wore face paint and came to cheer at one of our home matches. That was great!"
But for Skogerboe with the end of competitive tennis comes the beginning of a career dream - to be a surgeon.
"I am going to go back home and wait to get into medical school," Skogerboe commented. "I want to be a surgeon in a specialized field, but I'm not sure which field I want to go into yet. I definitely want to be a surgeon though."
With a degree in human biology on its way, being a member of the Honors College and involvement in Division I athletics, it seems that Skogerboe has everything in order to achieve her goals.
But if her dream to be a surgeon doesn't work out?
"I'll be an artist!" she said laughingly. "I love art and if I can't be a surgeon then I will definitely do something related to art."
Whether she ends up being an artist or a surgeon, finishing her career at MSU is a great accomplishment and with the support of her family and friends she can make all of her dreams come true.