Honors in Action: Ayden Kujawa serves up success at APSU
By: Ethan Steinquest September 25, 2024
APSU junior psychology major Ayden Kujawa, a member of the Governors women’s tennis team and the President’s Emerging Leaders Program, is balancing athletic and academic responsibilities while pursuing a career in healthcare.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - For Ayden Kujawa, tennis challenges both mind and body — a perspective that aligns perfectly with her academic pursuits at Austin Peay State University.
The junior psychology major is balancing her studies and involvement in the President’s Emerging Leaders Program (PELP) while competing at the Division I level for the Governors women’s tennis team.
“My dad is a tennis teaching professional, and I can’t even remember the first time I picked up a racket,” Kujawa said. “Tennis is very much like a chess match. You have to consider your ball placement, what side you’re trying to focus on, and the weaknesses you can find in your opponent. It’s as much a mental game as it is physical, maybe even more so.”
Kujawa’s passion for the sport began as a way to spend quality time with her father, and she set her sights on becoming a college athlete by age 10.
“One of the things I wanted most out of college was the opportunity to meet people and make friends from all over the world,” said Kujawa, a Clarksville native. “My entire team is European, so I’ve learned a lot about new cultures. I also wanted to play somewhere where the coaches were really involved and passionate, and I found that at Austin Peay.”
The university has also given Kujawa opportunities to hone her skills through PELP, taking on leadership classes and participating in community service projects.
“Learning the value of communication has made a big impact on me,” she said. “The connections and friendships you make with people can carry you far in life, and I didn’t fully recognize that when I came into college. That’s been a huge takeaway from my time in PELP.”
Kujawa has leveraged those skills into leadership roles in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Austin Peay’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
“In my freshman year, I was chosen to be on the SAAC board, and last year, I was the mental health chair,” she said. “I helped market events like Wellness Wednesdays, where we worked with our sports psychologist to address mental health topics, and we also planned community service projects and events.”
While Kujawa's involvement in SAAC supported her interest in health and wellness, a personal experience with a sick family member solidified her commitment to a career in healthcare. As a psychology major, Kujawa plans to use the rest of her time at Austin Peay to determine whether her future lies in nursing or counseling.
“I’m a pre-professional health minor, so I’m getting in classes that are more focused on nursing and medicine,” she said. “With psychology, I’m also taking a lot of classes in the counseling realm … it’s a degree program that can take you in many directions, and I’m looking forward to learning how I can make an impact on others.”
Balancing her diverse academic pursuits with her athletic commitments and extracurricular activities has taught Kujawa valuable time management skills.
“What saves me the most is putting things in my reminders and communicating well with my coaches and professors,” she said. “If I have a lot of assignments due and I’m going to have to be away, I know it’s time for me to put my head down and get my work done.”
Although juggling her responsibilities can be demanding, Kujawa said her college experience has been extremely rewarding and provided countless growth opportunities.
“I’ve loved every minute at Austin Peay,” she said. “I’ve been able to spend a lot of time around people from different backgrounds, and I have friends from here that I’m still very close with, so there’s a strong sense of community. I’m also happy this is a place where I can be challenged in my academics and athletics.”