KANSAS - The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is proud to bring you the "KCAC Alumni Spotlight" series. Every two weeks, the conference will aim to highlight an alumnus of one of our KCAC full member institutions. We hope in this series to highlight successes that KCAC alumni had not only on the field, court, etc., but also in the classroom and now in their chosen professional field.
KCAC ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT — OTTAWA UNIVERSITY
Alumnus: David Birch
Degree(s) Earned at Ottawa: Bachelor of Arts in Education (2009), Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction (2013)
Career Alumnus Currently Holds: Teacher and Head Boys' Basketball Coach, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School (Shawnee, Kan.)
How did your time at Ottawa help to prepare you for life after college/entering the workforce?
BIRCH: "Ottawa University is where I met my closest friends, had a great mentor, and was able to get the degrees/certificates necessary to be prepared for life after college. The small class sizes allowed me to learn and collaborate with other students wanting the same when entering the workforce. The people during my time at OU are what made the difference for me. To this day, these are the people that are my references and my network in the workforce."
Were there any pre-professional experiences (internships/job shadows/etc.) during your college years that prepared you for entering your chosen field?
BIRCH: "Anybody who is in the educational field will do student teaching. I was a student teacher at Garfield Elementary school and got to learn under a "Teacher of the Year" recipient in Mr. Brad Carlson. The year after I finished playing, I was also the student assistant for the Ottawa University basketball team under Coach Andy Carrier. I knew I wanted to get into teaching and coaching after my playing career was over. Being able to learn under some of the best teaching and coaching has to offer has helped prepare and shape my education/coaching philosophy."
What lessons did you learn competing in collegiate athletics that helped prepare you for life after your playing days were over?
BIRCH: "Athletics taught me how to deal with adversity and not make excuses in life. Playing college basketball, you have to work hard no matter what the circumstances are, work/practice even on days you don't feel like it, and push through hard times to come out on the other side. I think people have seen all the good things that have happened to me in my career, but not a lot of people have seen all the adversity whether that's divorce, death of family members, cancer diagnosis, etc. No matter what life has thrown at me, I refuse to use it as an excuse. I used the pain of the situation to work harder and to push for success regardless of the personal circumstances I faced. Adversity comes for everyone in some form or another, but it is how you deal with it that shows true character. Those are lessons I learned under Coach Carrier at Ottawa University."
ABOUT THE KANSAS COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and sponsors 29 varsity sports. Founded in 1890, the KCAC is the second oldest intercollegiate athletic conference in the country. As the conference home to 14 member institutions, the KCAC emphasizes commitment, cooperation, high achievement, and working towards a common goal in the act of competition. To keep up with the latest conference news, follow the KCAC on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram using the handle @kcacsports.
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