Penn College offers perfect mix for grateful student-athlete

We're halfway through the 2023 "Give Thanks, Paw It Forward" initiative, overseen annually by the College Relations Office, offering a third iteration of a message that never goes out of fashion.

Lend an ear to Colten C.B. Hajicek, an emergency management & homeland security student from Redmond, Washington, who found a cross-country home in his academic major and a family on the Wildcat lacrosse team.

“The thing I appreciate most about my coaches is how they are always pushing – not just me, but the whole team – to be better. Our coaches help us build ourselves into hardworking and successful young men through community service, commitment to our teammates and academic awareness," Hajicek said.

"As for my teammates, I appreciate them most for taking me in as one of their own. I was nervous because I came from across the country, but they took me in and have become a second family to me.”