Kelly Biette (Brighton, Colo.) is the epitome of a successful student-athlete and is the type of person every coach wishes was a part of their team. The winner of the Individual Mission Award, Biette recently presented her research at a conference in Switzerland, but looks back to her humble beginnings playing recreational league volleyball.
“I started playing volleyball in middle school on a rec team with my mom as the coach,” she remembers. “I played basketball all through middle school as well, but just especially enjoyed playing volleyball. I started playing at the club level in high school and had a couple coaches along the way that really made me love the game, so I stuck with it.”
During her junior year at Holy Family High School, she started to recognize her desire to continue playing volleyball at the collegiate level while also getting a quality education.
“I wanted to look at colleges that gave me the opportunity to continue playing the sport, but that also had great academics. I think if it had come down to academics or athletics, I probably would’ve chosen academics, but I feel really, really fortunate that I was able to do both.”
As both of her parents graduated from Marquette, and she attended a Catholic high school, she researched Jesuit schools throughout the country and Seattle U eventually became the frontrunner.
“I was really intrigued by Seattle. I think I had a huge crush on Seattle in high school because I wanted an urban environment but also to have the mountains and outdoors close. Coming to school at Seattle U is like a dream, because it’s such a great location, and it had the perfect blend of everything I wanted.”
One of the organizations at Seattle U that Biette was most involved in outside of volleyball was the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), also serving on the Western Athletic Conference SAAC during her senior year. She went from team representative her freshman season, secretary as a sophomore, vice president her junior year to president during her final year as a Redhawk.
“I think one of the coolest things about it is that it’s really changed over the past four years. It has gone from being a group of just a couple students to now, everybody comes to SAAC and it’s a really great community. We’ve all been able to support each other and talk about things that really matter to student-athletes, regardless of sport. I’ve made some great friends and it’s been an awesome leadership position to have as well, to represent student-athletes to the university.”
As one of two Seattle U student-athlete representatives to the WAC SAAC in 2012-13, she had the opportunity to go on a retreat in August 2012 in Denver with the representatives from the league’s other schools.
“I learned a lot about NCAA legislation, how conferences run, and how all the different schools and administrators fit into making a conference work. It was really neat to represent Seattle U to a bigger community and really enjoyed getting to know all of the different athletes from the different schools. After that, we had once-a-month conference calls but, since you have already met them, it makes the calls a lot easier and people are a lot more open to share their opinions.”
One of Biette’s favorite volleyball memories from her senior season was the team’s WAC home opener versus New Mexico State.
“We had a huge crowd and we played probably the best team in the conference and played really, really well. To be able to see how my team played that night, and how the community supported us, it was really special.”
Outside of recognition by the SU athletics department for her dedication to the Seattle U mission, Biette received Capital One Academic All-District VIII First Team honors as well as advancing as a nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year.
“I was really surprised and honored; I wasn’t expecting that at all. To know that on a regional or national level, I’m doing really well on the court and in the classroom and to be recognized for that is exciting. You never really know how your institute stacks up to other schools, so to see my name on the list with a lot of other great athletes at great institutions was a cool feeling.”
In fall 2012, Biette had the opportunity to present a research project in Switzerland, the culmination of eight to 12 months of work.
“The work was being really well received and I was invited to present it to a group of scientists that were experts in the field. I learned a lot about scientific communication; it’s really different to present your work to people who know all the intricacies of the system you’re working with. I learned a lot about the field and just felt like I was entering into an academic community. It was kind of a wake-up call like ‘After this, you’re going to be a scientist. You’re not just a volleyball player’. It was really weird, but really neat at the same time, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity.”
Biette will continue her education this fall as she starts work towards her PhD in pharmacology at Harvard.
“I’m pretty nervous but am really excited about it; it’s a big move and a big change. I interviewed at seven really awesome schools during winter quarter, so I got to see a lot of really neat cities and really neat campuses, but I’m looking forward to living in Boston.”
Biette’s best advice for those who want to be successful and make the most of their collegiate experience is to “start by trying everything, spend some serious time figuring out what matters most to you, and then give it everything you have.”
She continues, “I think, as athletes, sometimes you’re told that you can’t be involved with a lot or that you really need to prioritize your time, which is true. But there’s no reason you can’t do other things while still prioritizing your sport. Don’t be afraid of a couple late nights. Figure out what’s important to you and go after it.”