Nina Deer: Finding her path

When lacrosse player Nina Deer realized she no longer wanted to be a physical therapist, Head Coach Meredith Merce helped her explore a new path.

“I felt that my passion was still in the sports industry but for helping people mentally. Coach Merce set up a session with a mental performance coach and in that one session, I realized that I also wanted to help people change their mindset and improve their mindfulness in relation to sport,” Deer said. 

The junior kinesiology major and psychology minor from Highland Park, Illinois, said Cornell College gave her the flexibility she then needed to pivot her career plans.

“Cornell allows me to be flexible with prospective career choices by utilizing the Berry Career Institute. The block plan at Cornell also allows for flexibility in my schedule so I can take classes accordingly,” she said.

Deer plays the position of attacker on the team. She serves as Kappa Theta substance awareness chair, Hillel co-president, and New Student Orientation flock leader as well. 

“I really enjoyed being a flock leader. This year was definitely a challenge due to the pandemic. However, my fellow flock leaders were so supportive of each other and I feel like we all helped each other though the challenge of adapting to our new normal while simultaneously helping the first-year students adapt to college,” she said. “It truly was an amazing experience and I am so grateful for the relationships I formed during that time.”