Accomplishing the Unthinkable

And she’s in the water!

Maggie Kelley ’24 has made a commitment that most wouldn’t even consider. After completing two years on the McMinnville campus, she transferred to the Portland campus to finish her nursing degree while remaining on the swim team back in McMinnville.

The trek between Linfield’s two campuses can be intense, to say the least. For Maggie though, there’s nothing that can come in between her and swimming.

“Finding time to commute to Linfield's McMinnville campus to practice is definitely a challenge but it is something that I try to prioritize,” she said. “I try to come down and swim with the team a few times a week and then the rest of the time I train on my own.”

A swimmer since the age of seven, Maggie wasn’t always the fastest fish in the pool.

“That didn't matter to me. The friendships that I made on the pool deck is what made me fall in love with the sport,” she said. 

However, Maggie is proving herself wrong. With an impressive record, she holds multiple school record titles across high school and now college and holds a college conference champion title.

Her committed attitude spills over from the pool and into her studies. Maggie is a devoted nursing student.

Making the sacrifice to commute between the two campuses multiple times a week is no easy feat, but Maggie finds immense reward in this. 

“Nursing is another passion of mine,” she said. “It gives me the ability to connect with people during difficult times in their lives and I want to be the person that my patients say made their hospital stay that much better.” 

The pressure to succeed in both swimming and nursing school can be overwhelming.

For Maggie, she is backed with support.

“Once my professors see how hard I work in the classroom, they are willing to help me manage the time off that I need for competitions,” she said.

Maggie’s competitive drive paired with her nurturing side is just what makes her unique. Her unwavering devotion to both nursing school and swimming has made her the student she is today.

“This is a sacrifice I am willing to make because swimming has brought me so much joy in my life,” she said. “The teammates and coaches that have been there for me are the reason that I am confident in the person I am today. Swimming has made me a better teammate, friend and person, and that is why I continue to swim while learning to become a nurse up on the Portland campus.”