Colip's travels impact study path
KGF Junior Scholars: Ashley Colip
Many students go to college with a thought on a possible career. Oftentimes that changes as we make our way through the “college experience.”
That’s the case for Kansas Golf Foundation Scholar Ashley Colip who once thought she wanted to major in physical therapy at the University of Kansas.
But a trip to Australia in the summer of 2008 has her heading in a different direction.
“That was the first major trip that I’ve been on…,” says Norton’s Colip, now majoring in geography. “…and ever since then I’ve been itching to leave the country. I’ve been to Mexico, but that’s the only other country. Next fall I plan on studying abroad in Spain for a semester so I’m pretty excited about that.”
Proving she belonged
Colip said she took the game of golf up with friends at the nine-hole Norton Prairie Dog Golf Course the summer before she went to junior high school.
“We just had a little intro for kids, and I did that until high school and that made me want to do 
golf in high school as well,” says Colip, a 20-year-old sophomore. “That’s how I got started (playing) golf…just with the people out at the golf course. No one in my family really plays golf.”
Since Norton Community High School didn’t have a girls’ team, Colip joined the boys’ squad during her track and field season in the spring. She says the experience was “very intimidating” when she began playing as a freshman.
“But I had a really great coach who encouraged me to do my best,” she recalled. “So that was a major part of it, having a great coach who taught me everything.”
The athletic Colip, who was also a member of the Bluejays’ substate champion volleyball team and basketball squad, played golf all four years in high school and had a career-best finish of 10th place at one tournament.
“(Golf) really taught me to be independent because volleyball and basketball are such team sports,” Colip says. “I also learned a lot being the only girl. I did a lot more than people thought I could do. It was definitely a big self esteem booster for me.”
Colip says she was involved in various clubs and about all the extra-curricular activities during her days at NCHS.
“I did about everything except FFA in high school,” she says.
Transitioning to campus life
Colip admits she really didn’t have any interest in attending the University of Kansas, but a trip to the Lawrence campus with one of her friends changed all that.
“After that visit I fell in love with it and I had to come here,” she says. “Coming to Lawrence was like a huge culture shock, because most of the people are from the Kansas City area…used to big towns and crowds and stuff. The first week on campus was just chaotic for me, getting from
class to class on this huge campus compared to the small town of Norton.”
Colip says she’d like to get into the travel industry when she graduates.
“I really like to travel,” says Colip, also involved in Lutheran Ministries and the Scholarship Hall at KU. “Right now I’m actually interning at a travel agency in Kansas City, so I really like the city-feel of working.”
That’s quite a departure from the slower pace of life in Norton for Colip, where her mom worked as a para for the school district and her dad is a truck driver. While attending KU and planning her travels, Colip says she remains appreciative of the KGF scholarship support and how it will lead to an education that can open “worldwide” doors in her future.
“It’s nice to have financial support from someone other than local scholarships,” she says. “It’s helped me immensely to get other things and have a great college experience.”
