By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Nandi Moore ('18, MBA '19) swam in freestyle and butterfly events for the Willamette University women's swimming team from 2014-15 through 2017-18. She learned a lot through practicing and interacting with her teammates and coaches. As a result, she received plenty of support while progressing in the classroom and improving as an athlete. In addition, she provided her teammates with support and was always there to cheer them on or lend a hand. She was a team captain in 2017-18. Moore, from Santa Clarita, California, graduated from Willamette with a bachelor's degree in Biology in 2018 and received an MBA degree from Willamette in 2019.
It meant a great deal to Moore that her teammates were supportive, both in the pool and on campus. Her teammates provided an extra bit of encouragement from time to time that contributed to her academic success and overall well-being.
"A lot of my teammates were also majoring in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) so I always knew I could ask the upperclassmen for help whenever I needed, which helped me a lot in my chemistry and physics classes. Additionally, if I was ever feeling down or homesick, I knew I could come to anyone on my team, especially Margo Coxon, Rachel Harvill, and Kiley Lin, and they would be able to help make me feel better.
Moore returned the favor, supplying her teammates with cheering at swimming meets, providing a smile on campus, and helping when needed with school assignments and projects. Keeping all of her teammates emotionally strong and healthy was one of Moore's top priorities.
"I was a team captain in my last year on the swim team, but I really think I helped lead my teammates prior to that year as well," Moore recalled. "I remember trying to help some first-year swimmers with their homework as well and always being in the library so that none of my teammates had to be alone studying. I also have helped a few of my teammates with their resumes and I've read over their essays to offer feedback to them. Even though I was an upperclassman as a captain, I still tried to include everyone. I would offer to save seats for my teammates at any of the other sporting events we went to as well."
Coaches also helped Moore succeed while she attended Willamette and competed for the Bearcats. They allowed her to grow as a student and an athlete, and helped her to take on new experiences with a positive outlook.
"Both Leslie Shevlin (Head Coach, now Associate A.D./Senior Woman Administrator) and Brent Summers (Assistant Coach, now Head Coach) have helped me out throughout my entire time of being an athlete as well as a graduate student," Moore noted. "In my initial years working with Leslie, she helped me grow in ways I never thought I could. I remember there was a time I broke down at Navy Seal training and she came right up to me to make sure I was okay. Additionally, in my first year, I remember asking her to miss practice because I was in over my head on an essay that was due that day and she didn't make a fuss over it because, at WU, coaches will always prioritize academics first.
"With Brent, I was able to learn how to be a better sprinter as he coached our sprint practices in the mornings," Moore said. 'He was also available to help me academically and connect me with his wife ... I was able to intern with her at Salem Health Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center. Swimming for over 10 years, and being one person out of a lot of people on club teams, I never really felt the sense that coaches believed in me until being coached by Leslie and Brent. Brent and I still speak, and just a few days ago he reassured me that I have accomplished a lot and that I should be proud of myself instead of doubting myself like I always do."
For Moore, it was the ability to learn and work with others that highlighted her time with the Bearcats. Those interactions had a profound impact on her.
"I enjoyed being able to interact with not only the people in my classes but also the athletes," Moore commented. "I always felt like being an athlete helped me not to stress out too much because swimming was a destresser for me. Without swimming, I honestly don't know what my time at WU would've looked like."
"Nandi was a wonderful teammate and even better person to have on our team," Summers noted. "Nandi's impact on her teammates was evident when Leslie and I were reviewing leadership qualities at the end of her junior year. Nandi received high marks from all her teammates for emotional support. Even without those notes, it was obvious that Nandi was an incredible, supportive teammate who would be there for her teammates in good and tough times."
Now, Moore lives in the State of Washington and works as a physical therapy aide at PNW Physical Therapy. She assists pre-op and post-op patients in an outpatient setting. Thanks to her MBA degree, she also has been hired to help with marketing the clinic. She plans to apply to physical therapy school this fall. She keeps busy with her job but also likes to spend time outdoors.
"I enjoy getting to see nature through hiking and taking scenic drives," Moore said. "Right now, most of my time is spent at work, helping patients get better after surgeries or helping them get better without the need for surgery. I really enjoy seeing patients go from not being able to function in their normal daily activities to being able to live their life to the fullest with physical therapy, which is why I want to pursue this field."
"When working with patients, I help push them through mental blocks to help gain more range of motion when they're post-op, and additionally I help them when doing their exercises so they don't reinjure themselves," Moore explained.
