Senior McKayla Poppens of the women’s golf team has made the most of her time at Augustana. Being a team captain, a member of Civitas (Augustana’s honor program), Vice President of Beta Beta Beta National Biological honors society, genetics lab and serving as a teaching assistant are a few of the hats Poppens has worn over the last four years.

A native of nearby Tea, South Dakota, and graduate of Roosevelt High School, Poppens has been very familiar with Augustana for her whole life. Although her journey to Augustana seemed unlikely, when it was time for Poppens to start looking for a college to attend, she knew that she was looking for an institution with an incredible science program and a competitive golf program.

During her freshman year at Roosevelt, she decided that she wanted to take golf more seriously with the end goal of playing golf in college. Having competed in gymnastics for a decade before playing golf seemed to be a smooth transition for Poppens. 

“I picked up golf a little later than my peers did,” Poppens added. “But I actually think that gymnastics was a good sport to play before golf because it gave me a lot of flexibility and power that translates well into the game of golf.”

Poppen’s had the option to stay at home with her parents while attending Augustana but knew she wanted more of a college experience than that. 

“I wanted to build that community and those friendships, and I think that the best way to do that is by immersing yourself fully on campus and meeting some new people which is why I opted to live in the dorms.”

Poppen’s is no stranger to time management. Being on the Dean’s List all four years while being a team captain is no small feat. She is also a SPUR (Sanford Program for Undergrad Research) grant recipient and working as an EMT between semesters. 

“Augie is a school where you have time to do several different things that you like and that’s what I liked about Augie. I’ve been able to spread my time and energy across different disciplines in different areas that interest me.

McKayla knew once she got to Augustana that going to medical school was the ultimate goal, which was able to help drive her to her interests outside of golfing and studies, and allow her to make the most out of her time outside of the semesters to better prepare herself for medical school.

“A huge component of it was an understanding from Coach Kirby and the other coaches as well as with faculty on campus. They do an amazing job working with students when they have to miss class for athletic events or other extracurriculars,” she added.  

McKayla attributed a lot of her success both in the classroom and on the golf course to communicating with professors ahead of time and making sure she understood what she was missing. She credited the faculty at Augie with their willingness to invite her in and sit down to go over things that she may have missed and just how essential that was to her education.

Although Poppens has accomplished a lot during her time at Augustana, it never seemed like a lot in the moment. 

Like many others, Poppens was early into her last season of collegiate competition before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped spring sports across the nation.

“McKayla has been one of the most driven, committed student-athletes and her successes in the classroom and as a golfer will serve her well as she heads to medical school,” Head Coach Peggy Kirby said. “I’m so proud of her work ethic, her leadership and her continued desire to always be at her best!”

Poppens has been accepted to one medical school and is waiting to hear back from a couple of other schools before making her decision on where she will continue her education. 

“Augie and even athletics have given me that ability to focus and devote time into something that's important to me.”