Lily Batule

Lily Batule, a member of the Sage women’s varsity basketball team, is quite familiar with the concept of playing one-on-one. She’s played that game a million times over the years on all kinds of basketball courts.

But she’s been surprised by all the one-on-one time she’s had with her college professors.

“From the moment I arrived at Sage what stood out to me was how friendly and welcoming the entire faculty and staff are,” Lily says. “Finding that I could go to any one of them for help made my time adjusting to college so much easier. You really can build a one-on-one connection with your professors.”

At first, Lily wasn’t sure about her major, which led her to become part of the Academic Exploration program, which is specially designed for undecided or undeclared students.

“It was a great opportunity for me to take all different kinds of courses,” Lily says, “to figure out what interested me the most.” 

She settled on becoming a Sport and Recreation Management major. “I’m an athlete, I love sports, so once I got into taking the courses for Sports and Rec I knew this was something that would interest me and help me find a career that I’ll love.”

“And my professors in Sports and Rec are the best,” she adds. “They make themselves available whenever I need them, and they have so much valuable information and sources to share.”

While it may have taken Lily some time to figure out what to concentrate on in her studies, she’s always known what she prized most about her life on campus.

“I love being in such a small, close knit community. I’ve made so many friends since being on this campus. Sage has such a welcoming atmosphere and the people here are amazing.”

“And being on the basketball team is like having a second family. We work hard on and off the court, whether it be doing community service work or preparing for our next game.”