For Tufts volleyball player Akpevwe Akpoigbe, being a Division III student-athlete feels like having "the holy trinity": athletics, academics and social life.
Whether it's winning a New England Small College Athletic Conference championship as a junior, studying cognitive and brain science or making an impact in the Boston community, Akpoigbe never realized the opportunities being a Division III student-athlete provided until she became one.
When Akpoigbe set out to find a small school with high academics, she met the Tufts volleyball coaches. Instantly, she loved their enthusiasm and energy. She knew she could be challenged in a comfortable environment.
"During the recruiting process, it was volleyball-focused. I didn't realize I'd have the opportunity to do so many other things," she said. "Everyone says this, but it's really the perfect balance with academics and athletics but also having a life outside of athletics."
Akpoigbe is a premed student, with a major in cognitive and brain science and a minor in psychology.
"In cognitive science, it's a study on how the brain and how you interact with the world, which I think is really cool. For my minor, I took an Intro to Philosophy class freshman year and was blown away," she said. "I feel like my academics connect me with people. I can understand how people think and why people do things."
Akpoigbe said Division III feels like a close-knit group.
"You build connections, really deep connections, with your coaches and with the people on your campus. Building connections is really important for DIII."
Some of the relationships include Team IMPACT matches. Tufts' volleyball team was matched with a few girls over multiple seasons as part of the program connecting college sports teams with children facing serious illness or disability.
The team spent time with their matches, throwing birthday and Christmas parties. After each match completed two years with the team, the team commemorated the moment with a graduation celebration at one of the volleyball games.
"It's such a rewarding experience because you learn a lot about yourself, but you also learn how much you're impacting someone else."
Akpoigbe served as the team's fellow and had the opportunity to connect one-on-one with a Team IMPACT child. Those connections were built through simple, easy moments like doing a 5K race, sitting in the sun and talking.
"It's really fun to see her there, and she's got a smile on her face and she's really excited. We're just all happy to be there and be in that moment with her and create that memory for her."
Multiple teams at Tufts have Team IMPACT matches, and Akpoigbe remembers watching the men's soccer team's match, Parker, interacting with the team. With every high-five, Parker's face lit up, and Akpoigbe said it was the cutest thing ever.
"It's really the little things that you do that can make someone's day completely change."
His joy and excitement for being in the locker room after games is contagious, and it showed Akpoigbe that the smallest moments can make the biggest difference.
"It goes both ways. You just gain insight into how other people's lives work and what they're dealing with and what struggles they may have that you may have never thought of," Akpoigbe said. "Through that you learn great communication skills, you learn a lot of things about that person, and it really helps you grow."
