We can all relate to a time of our lives when we felt lost. Coming to college was a new experience that demanded change from all of us. For many, including myself, there was this feeling of disorientation; a lack of identity in a sea of strange faces, and even worse, the uncertainty of what I wanted to do with my life. However, nothing can quite describe that moment of profound happiness when you’ve finally discovered your purpose and can focus on doing something that makes you happy. This describes sophomore Cora Burgoyne, a Kansas native who, like most of us, entered college without knowing which direction to go.
Within the last year, she’s changed her life for the better. She is a fifth generation Jayhawk and within her two years at KU, has gotten involved with She’s the First and Her Campus KU. She has also redirected her studies towards psychology with a minor in business. Cora was motivated to join those organizations because she’s a strong advocate for women, having been raised by four very strong-willed women. She’s the First, a group that advocates for girls’ accessibility to education across the world and sponsors a specific girl, inspired Cora. She realizes how vital education is and how lucky she has been to receive a first-class education. Education is vital for girls if they want to be able to support themselves. Cora saw this is a great opportunity to help other girls who want more but restricted for monetary, social, or cultural reasons.
But these aren’t the only clubs Cora is involved with. She is one of the co-coordinators for the new KU Women’s Weightlifting Club, which was started this semester. After she started going to CrossFit Lawrence last spring, working out has become one of her hobbies, specifically Olympic lifting. When asked what inspired her to get involved, she responded: “I was tired of being weak physically and mentally.” In getting involved with lifting and getting in shape it has given her a sense of empowerment and confidence she didn’t have before and hopes to help other women on campus experience this empowerment as well.
When asked about starting the KU Women’s Weightlifting Club, she said: “My friend Gabby Yeager got the idea from women-based gyms where women wouldn’t be pressured or feel uncomfortable and could work out in an environment they were comfortable with. Me and my friend Morgan had been working out at CrossFit Lawrence where we were asked about starting a club at KU.” Amazingly, the first informational meeting at KU had a wonderful turnout with four times as many girls as expected. Cora hopes to change women’s idea of body image from “skinny to fit and capable.”
KU Women’s Weightlifting Club is open to any woman who wants to be the best she can be, according to Cora. “We all create a really fun environment where girls can come and have fun. Everyone is doing the workout; everyone is hurting together; no one is alone. It’s really community-based.” It turned Cora’s life around and she aspires to share that with others. Ultimately, she hopes more women will at least come to try it. It wasn’t just the workout, but also the girls and people she met along the way. “It’s for people who are looking for something different and who are trying to change.”
Cora is fascinated with the human mind and is declaring psychology as her major, hoping to apply her studies to real-life situations. Coaching at CrossFit has helped Cora realize how closely health and nutrition are linked with mental health. Both in studying psychology and coaching, she dreams of helping people.
Cora is an inspiration to women across campus. She was the only one who could really change her life, and in doing so, she’s found empowerment, confidence, new friends, and a new self.