ZOE VOETTINER OF COLORADO COLLEGE, a junior on the women's lacrosse team from Haymarket, Va., has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Female Student-Athlete of the Week for the week beginning April 19.
The SCAC Character & Community award honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.
Voettiner arrived at Colorado College in the fall of 2018 with a healthy background in athletics and community service. During her time at CC, it has been a bumpy road in athletics, but she has smoothly continued her service activities.
A defender from Haymarket, Va., Voettiner played five games for the nationally-ranked women’s lacrosse team as a freshman, then spent her sophomore campaign as a student assistant coach following multiple foot surgeries.
“Getting hurt was actually a blessing in disguise,” Voettiner said. “I really love to coach and still be a part of the team with my teammates and coaches.
“It was also a very easy decision to come back and play this season. I love lacrosse and I always have a smile on my face when I am out on the field. Watching my teammates make a great play is the best feeling in the world.”
This season, she has started six of seven games and helped Colorado College post a 7.87 goals-against average. She also has scored a pair of goals and added an assist from her defensive position.
Voettiner’s community service began in middle school, volunteering at the Haymarket Food Pantry every Thursday for three hours, organizing food baskets for those in need. Then, in ninth grade, she added volunteer work at the local elementary school every Tuesday for two hours where she helped teach struggling children to read, multiply, and divide.
Beginning in the summer of 2019, prior to COVID-19, she volunteered in the memory care unit at the Heritage Village Assisted Living and Memory Care in her hometown and developed a music and memory program for five residents with dementia. She began the program by asking their family what types of music they listened to when they were younger, then played that music and asked questions after. The goal of the program was to both bring a smile to the individual’s face and to trigger memories in someone with dementia.
“That is the most impactful volunteer work I have done,” Voettiner said. “Most of the older adults did not talk or sing, but when we played the music, some of them found their voice again.”
During her time at Colorado College, Voettiner has found a special interest in mental health.
“I came to CC planning to be an English major, but over time I realized I was very passionate about mental health, so I decided to major in psychology,” she said. “Someday I hope to become a mental health counselor.”
On campus, she is a Morgan’s Message Ambassador. Morgan’s Message is a nonprofit organization that aims to eliminate the stigma of mental illness in student athletes. She runs a meeting once a block with several other student athletes and discuss how everyone can better their own mental health as well as support their teammates.
“I am really lucky to be a part of this program and bring it to CC to help talk about the stigma of mental health with my fellow student-athletes,” Voettiner said. “The block plan is very intense with a lot going, especially for student-athletes, and sometimes mental health gets put on the backburner.”
In addition, she worked as an intern last summer with Granato Group, a mental health organization that focuses on treatment of mental illness.
“I plan to attend graduate school and get a master’s degree in mental health counseling or counseling psychology,” Voettiner said. “Hopefully, I will be able to use my knowledge of mental health as a psychology major and my role in Morgan’s Message in my career.”
