I noticed Marley Heitman’s (’24) warm, bubbly personality on the first day of our women’s studies class. She told the class she had just transferred to DePauw, and she’s a member of our field hockey and lacrosse teams. I had never met her, but I became curious about her experience as a transfer athlete and how she likes DePauw so far.
HC: So, can you tell me a little bit about yourself? Where are you from?
MH: Yeah, so I’m from Chicago, Illinois – from a northern suburb, and I went last year to Miami University in Ohio.
HC: Cool, what are you studying?
MH: I’m studying kinesiology. I want to be a nurse.
HC: Okay, nice! How did you learn about DePauw?
MH: I first got interested in DePauw because the field hockey coach reached out to me, and I decided to look there. I went to Miami and then realized I really wanted to play my sport, so I’m playing field hockey and lacrosse here.
HC: That’s really cool. So when did you decide to transfer? How did you make your decision?
MH: I rushed at Miami, and I didn’t like the sorority. I ended up rushing because my roommate didn’t want me to “go” with the one I wanted. That day, my mom and I were talking. She was like, “Have you ever thought about transferring?” and I was like, “It’d be kinda fun to play sports.” So I contacted both coaches here, and within two days, I committed.
HC: Wow, that’s amazing! How are you feeling about the switch now, both in school and on the team?
MH: I love it like I absolutely love it here. I feel like it’s totally my school now. I like that I feel really welcomed. Everyone just means so well here. Everyone’s genuinely wanting to be friends. My team is awesome. It’s really fun! I love all the girls. Being in a sport makes me happy.
HC: I saw you just joined Theta, congrats! What made you decide to go Greek here?
MH: I knew this was a really big Greek school. When I had talked to a couple of girls, who actually happened to be in Theta, before I decided to commit here, they were like, “Greek life is so fun! You have your sports team, but then you also have your friends in Greek life.” So I just wanted to make more friends.
HC: What are you most excited about this year at DePauw?
MH: Just meeting my close friends. I haven’t found a close group of girls yet. I’m trying to get to know a bunch of girls. I’m really looking forward to that friendship and bonding experience. <3