<milton just finished her senior season on the basketball court for the Knights and her journey at Carleton has been anything but ordinary. A transfer from Valparaiso University in Indiana, Anne Hamilton came to Carleton to start her sophomore year. Hamilton said this decision was about expanding her horizons as a student-athlete.
“I made the decision to transfer to a D3 school to get more of that balance between school, sports and extracurriculars,” she said. “In the end, I really liked Carleton for the school atmosphere and the trimesters, because it gave me the chance to study abroad and have a summer internship and research experiences while also playing basketball.”
Though initially the transition had its challenges, as Hamilton embarks on her final ten weeks in Northfield, she could not be more pleased with her decision to come to Carleton. “Though it was challenging in the beginning, everyone was super welcoming,” she said. “Finding opportunities on campus to get involved was super helpful. Energy Club and playing basketball were just some of the opportunities that helped me get more involved. Carleton is a welcoming place. Not just the students, but the professors and coaches as well. The random connections you make on campus in Sayles or walking to class or hanging out, you have a lot of friendships and get to know so many great people.”
Over her first two seasons at Carleton, Hamilton battled through injuries that limited her on the court. Six games into her first season as a Knight, her season ended with an ACL tear that kept her out for the rest of that season and the first half of the season of her junior year. Hamilton viewed this challenge as only another opportunity to grow and learn as she prepared for her final season for the Knights. “It made me cherish every moment playing basketball,” she said.
“The combination of having that injury experience and it being my senior year here and last year playing basketball, I tried to cherish all the opportunities so much more this season. I know how hard it is to sit on the sideline for 30 games. I learned the value of patience, communication with teammates and the importance of relationships instead of only competing to win. Yes, we all want to win badly, but it’s more about the process. That is a perspective I didn’t have before my knee injury.”
This season, Hamilton, a captain for the Knights, was a mainstay for the team on the court. Hamilton averaged over seven points and eight rebounds per game. She also pulled in three double-doubles for the Knights and was awarded All-Conference Honorable Mention for her efforts. However, transferring to Carleton, overcoming a season-ending injury and becoming a top player in the MIAC are only a part of Hamilton’s story at Carleton. Hamilton also spent the spring of 2017 studying abroad with Carleton in Peru. Playing collegiate basketball and studying abroad are a challenge, but the trimester system at Carleton afforded Hamilton the opportunity and she jumped right in.
The language-immersion program placed special emphasis on speaking Spanish, while other areas of focus included learning about Peruvian culture and history. “I really enjoyed the language-culture aspect,” she said. “I enjoyed that it wasn’t science, I loved going to a new place and learning about something different. I loved speaking Spanish in particular. Our trip to the Amazon was awesome as well. I had to slow myself down to enjoy the little things and enjoy the experience as opposed to constantly thinking –– what’s next. I had to transition from thinking about: what am I going to do this summer, what am I going to do after graduation, to: I’m sitting at a beach in a foreign country, speaking a cool language, with some amazing people. But I learned how to enjoy that. I also learned to appreciate all of the things I love about my life at Carleton: working out in a nice facility, studying subjects that truly interest me, hanging out with people that speak my same language. You learn to enjoy the little things.”
At Carleton, Anne has also been very involved in clean energy efforts on campus. A member of Energy Club and a physics major, Anne’s future in physics is bright. Hamilton has a co-op position, similar to an extended internship, at TPI Composites, a wind-blade manufacturing and clean energy company in Iowa, lined up for after graduation. Hamilton said, “I want to be in renewables; that is my end goal. I want to use physics to help the environment in an engineering role.” What has been a whirlwind of excitement and experiences over the past four years for Hamilton will come to an end this spring with graduation.