Right away Autumn Vanderveer’s passion and desire for the sport showed. Her face lit up and she announced, “I LOVE CHEERLEADING!”
If you’ve ever been to a basketball game or walked across the campus center fundraising tables, then you’ve probably seen . This college student spends most of her time cheering for the men’s basketball team, practicing her tumbling at practice, and exploring new ways to keep her team involved in campus activities.
Autumn Vanderveer is a junior psychology major with a minor in Forensic psychology here at SUNY Oswego. Vanderveer’s been cheering for Oswego State ever since she transferred here.
Cazenovia was her first college of choice. Vanderveer strived for a larger school and Oswego turned out to be the right place for her. Before attending Cazenovia, Autumn found out about the Oswego cheerleaders through You-Tube. Sure enough she got in contact with the current coach and showed up for a try out.
Vanderveer tagged along with the team that summer at a cheerleading camp. When asked what her first opinion of the team was she stated with confidence, “I loved the whole program and the team was very welcoming”.
While cheering three times a week and keeping up with her Forensic Psychology classes, Vanderveer also takes on the role as the Public Relations chair on the team. At her high school in Burnt-Hills, Albany, Vanderveer was the captain of her cheer team. Taking on a position for her college team was just another challenge she was willing to tackle.
The overall goal of the public relations position is to build the team’s image and help out with community service on campus.
“I wanted to help change the team and build a greater reputation of our team”, says Autumn. “Community service is just morally right for everyone to do and I want our team to give back to the campus”.
Autumn has sure done a great job with these goals. The team has participated in the celebration of our founding father, the annual Great Pumpkin Run, the Julian Ross 5k, and the team has been helping out the American Red Cross by collection blood donors in the Campus Center. Their image is definitely becoming well known around campus.
So what does this colligate do whenever she finds time for herself? “I like to puffy paint; I love arts and crafts” says Vanderveer. She also enjoys “Jamming” with her friends whenever she gets a chance.
What is Ms. Vanderveer’s goal for herself next semester on the team? “I plan on taking on the role to be president,” says autumn.
Next time you see the cheerleading team here at Oswego State, look out for this compassionate, outgoing cheerleader who works it on and off the cheerleading mat.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Oswego chapter.