By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
William & Mary's Class of '21 has been through a long and very strange year. Wearing masks on campus, adjusting to remote learning, no large gatherings or being able to attend sporting events, COVID testing and vaccinations … it was not what any of them signed up for.
 
Finally, the finish line — graduation — is here. Of the 2,004 students expected to receive their diplomas this weekend, both undergraduates and graduate students, 125 are Tribe student-athletes. For these, a new chapter is about to begin, and they have big plans.
 
Here are seven examples of how the Class of '21 is ready to make its mark.
 
Sophie Kopec, lacrosse
Degree: B.S. in Kinesiology & Health Sciences
What's next: Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C.
 
When she was 8 years old, Kopec told her father that she wanted to be an anesthesiologist for children. Spoiler alert: She won't be, at least not anytime soon.
 
But Kopec will be in the medical field, and she will be working with children. On June 1, she will begin her job as a clinical research coordinator in the neuro-oncology department at Children's National Hospital.
 
"I've wanted to work in (pediatrics) my whole life, so I applied to a whole bunch of positions basically across the U.S.," said Kopec, a four-year starting midfielder. "Children's National and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta were my top two because I had heard such good things.
 
"Everything fell into place with Children's National in D.C. The clinical research team I'm going to be working with, I got to interview with all of them, and they were all so kind and welcoming. I felt like I had to take advantage of this opportunity. It felt so right."
 
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta would have taken her home. But Children's National is only three hours up the road from what will soon be Kopec's alma mater.
 
"Just like being at William & Mary, I feel such a Tribe community in D.C., too," she said. "That's something I'm really excited about."
 
Jordan Lowery, football
Degree: Master of Science in Business Analytics (graduated in '20 with B.S. in Kinesiology & Health Sciences).
Up next: Howard University College of Pharmacy.
 
For nearly as long as he can remember, football has been a part of Lowery's life. After four seasons as a wide receiver and return man for the Tribe, he had another year of eligibility remaining — like all fall athletes — because of the pandemic.
 
Even though he would have been a major contributor, if not a starter, Lowery decided to enter the real world. Already with his B.S. and MSBA, Lowery has been accepted to the Howard University College of Pharmacy and will begin his four-year program in August.
 
"I was definitely ready to move on," Lowery said. "I know what I want to do in my career, and I wanted to get that started. For my personal goals, this is what I wanted to do."
 
Originally, Lowery's goal was to attend medical school. But combined with residency, that can be up to a 10-year process. Pharmacy school offered a more direct path to what he wants.
 
"Five years from now, hopefully I'm in the city of my choice being a pharmacist," said Lowery, who has a cousin who is a pharmacist. "Eventually, what I want to do is own my own pharmacy. That's where the business analytics degree could come into play by helping me with the business aspect of things."
 
Colleen Norton, women's soccer
Degrees: B.S. in Geology, Environmental Science and Policy
What's next: Graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania
 
By the time fall classes begin in August, students should be able to sit outside the McLeod Tyler Wellness Center and Daily Grind while charging their phones and laptops. They can thank Norton, who with a friend received a $5,000 mini-grant to fund a solar work station for students and staff.
 
"It's a table, and there's an umbrella with solar panels on it," Norton said. "And those solar panels provide energy for charging outlets and lights so you can use it at night. We're really excited about it."
 
Sustainability is of major interest to Norton. On Thursday, she learned that she had won the Environmental Science & Policy Burns-Davis Service Award based on her contributions to sustainability efforts at W&M.
 
Norton's next stop will be graduate school at Penn. She will undertake four more years of school to work on her Master of Environmental Sciences/Juris Doctor.
 
"It's a dual degree program that isn't offered by many schools," Norton said. "I wanted to obtain a good mix between the hard sciences and the law and policy side."
 
She will take a gap year before starting at Penn in 2022.
 
"People told me I should take the year off and get some more experience before going into four more years of school,'" Norton said. "My parents are even pushing for one more year, but we'll see."
 
Felecia Hayes, women's track
Degrees: B.S. in Kinesiology & Health Sciences (concentration in public health).
What's next: William & Mary School of Education
 
Although she's graduating, Hayes has another year of eligibility remaining as a record-setting sprinter. Instead, she knows what she wants to do with her life and is ready to get started.
 
Hayes has been accepted into the William & Mary School of Education and will go for her Master of Arts in Education. She will be in the Curriculum & Instruction program with a concentration on elementary education.
 
"I want to incorporate some of the things I've been learning in public health to the classroom," Hayes said. "Like nutritional education and getting active in the classroom, a couple of things that are needed at that younger age."
 
Hayes has been very much involved in her community. At W&M, she served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and as chair of Diversity and Inclusion. Last summer, she organized Black Lives Matter rallies in Williamsburg.
 
Hayes has been involved with Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools with the School Health Initiative Program and as a student teacher.
 
"I really loved kids and serving my community," she said. "Those are my two big passions.
 
Zane Petras, men's gymnastics
Degree: Master of Science in Business Analytics (graduated in '20 with a B.S. in Applied Statistics & Philosophy)
Up next: Data scientist, Customer Value Partners, Fairfax.
 
On Aug. 2, Petras will start his new chapter in life. Customer Value Partners is a smaller consulting firm that works with clients in healthcare, national security, and the private sector.
 
But first things first. Early next month, Petras plans to embark on a motorcycle trip down the coast of South America. Inspiration came from his father, who in his younger days rode his bicycle from Phoenix to the Honduras/Nicaragua border.
 
Petras' scheduled route is from Lima, Peru, to Santiago, Chile — a journey of more than 3,000 miles. He hopes to ride through Bolivia and Argentina before finishing in Chile.
 
The problem is, Argentina and Chile currently have closed borders. If that doesn't change in the next couple of weeks, Petras' alternate plan is to bike to Quito, Ecuador. He would take a longer route through Brazil … and who knows what detours he might find appealing?
 
"The whole idea is to pay as I go, figure stuff out as I go," he said. "The first week or two I'll be able to plan out, but you just never know what's going to happen. I'll be bringing camping equipment and I've done research on how to camp safely in the area."
 
Bailey Eichner, women's basketball
Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing
What's next: Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University
 
Eichner came to William & Mary hoping to become a doctor. But the university does not require students to declare a major until after their sophomore year. By that point, she had shifted gears.
 
Eichner was watching an NBA game one day when reporter Katie George caught her attention. Eichner had always loved sports, so why not give it a try? She reached out to Associate Athletics Director Pete Clawson, who helped her get some work behind the camera.
 
While she wasn't playing for the women's basketball team, she reported on other sports for TribeAthletics.TV. During this past season, she did a Zoom interview segment called "Boxing Out with Bailey," in which she talked with Tribe coaches and athletes.
 
Eichner's next step in the Medill School of Journalism, which has produced USA Today columnist Christine Brennan, NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen, and ESPN's Rachel Nichols and "Pardon the Interruption" co-host Michael Wilbon.
 
"I was so excited," Eichner said. "I actually applied in December because it was such a prestigious school. That's something I hold in high value being at William & Mary."
 
Zach Skolnekovich, men's cross country/track & field
Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration, finance
What's next: Analyst, Aldrich Capital Partners, Tyson's Corner.
 
Skolnekovich was in high school when he realized the financial world was for him. Looking back, he recognizes it's in his DNA.
 
"My mom actually works in private equity, and I got exposed to that," he said. "I got to talk to people a lot. And I thought, 'This is a really cool field.'
 
"So I decided I'd get a finance degree. It allows me the flexibility to do a lot of different things in the business field in general."
 
After graduation, Skolnekovich will begin work as an analyst at Aldrich Capital Partners. ACP is a middle-market private equity firm that invests in promising enterprises and helps them reach their objectives.
 
"The hope is we are able to support companies to achieve their growth goals through capital investments and building long-lasting relationships with entrepreneurs," he said.
 
"We enjoy helping companies scale from the early stages of growth to being an established player in their respective industries. We really like to see our investments change the trajectory of a business and boost the entrepreneurs behind each of them."