The Balancing Act, Elle Cotton's Success at Being a STUDENT-Athlete
By Doug Link
Balancing time between two forces pulling you in different directions can be challenging for the best of us. Many students at Boise State are tasked with such a predicament daily, balancing their studies with a job, being a parent, or being a student-athlete, among others.
For Elle Cotton, balancing the demands of being a student-athlete as a Boise State volleyball team member and being an engineering major, one of the most demanding fields of study at the university, has become routine.
"It's definitely been extremely busy," said Cotton. "I have classes all day, then I practice, and then I go home and do my homework. So it's a lot, but learning to balance it has been a difficult but fun process, and it makes me be more efficient and enjoy my time in both. It's like when I'm doing one, it's a break from the other. When I have practice, it's a break from engineering; when I'm in class, it's a break from volleyball. That's kind of how I look at it."
In three years of college, she has learned how to balance school work with her volleyball responsibilities. In fact, successful enough to be named one of Boise State's recipients of the Idaho Society of Professional Engineers' "Outstanding Junior Level Engineering Student Award." Cotton was the top student honored in the engineering PLUS major and one of nine students overall who were recognized by the organization at a luncheon this past February in Boise.
For 29 years, the Idaho Society of Professional Engineers' Southwest Chapter has honored the top two juniors in Boise State's College of Engineering. Today, there are five fields in which students are honored for their work and accomplishments: civil engineering, electrical & computer engineering, engineering PLUS, materials science & engineering, and mechanical & biomedical engineering.
Cotton appreciates receiving this award and recognizes it is difficult to accomplish, especially in Idaho's largest and top-ranked engineering college with over 3,000 students.
"It's really cool being recognized by the professionals, and balancing the two worlds (classes and volleyball) has been interesting. Excelling at both has been cool and is something I've worked hard at. I don't think many people get that opportunity."
The time and demand for engineering students are intensive and challenging. It is not uncommon for students to transfer to a different college at Boise State.
"It's a really challenging degree (engineering)," said one of Cotton's engineering professors, Amy Moll. "Students have a lot of upper-level math; you have science and engineering courses. We usually say you are going to take two hours of study outside of every hour in class. So it's kind of an intense, challenging discipline to get an engineering degree."
The selection process for receiving recognition as one of the top two engineering students in your major involves several steps, including being nominated by professors, interviewing, and then being selected by volunteers representing the professional organization.
Lynn Olson, the director of academic advising for the College of Education at Boise State, described the process for selection as beginning with the professors in each department who nominate the top two juniors in their field. The students then proceed to an interview stage with volunteers from the community. Finally, a committee of volunteers selects the winners.
That committee selected Cotton as the top junior for the engineering PLUS major. The fact, she received this recognition shows Cotton has worked hard and succeeded at balancing the responsibilities of her academic work with being a student-athlete at Boise State.
THE BALANCING ACT
Part 1, Academics
Cotton arrived on campus during the summer of 2022 from Elk River, Minnesota, a suburb about 45 minutes northwest of Minneapolis. As a freshman, the 18-year-old had no idea what she wanted to study when arriving and came in as an undeclared major.
Even though she was unsure of what direction to take academically, Cotton had a strong academic background, having come out of Elk River High School as a four-time member of the National Honor Society and A Honor Roll. In addition, she was a four-time academic letter honoree and a four-time recipient of the Distinguished Academic Achievement and the SpotLight on Scholarship (for maintaining a 3.0 or better grade point average while competing in sports) awards.
"When I came to Boise State, I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I've always loved math and science. So, I considered doing something in STEM and talked to Alissa Lauer (an athletic department academic advisor). She suggested engineering, but I was also interested in environmental studies. So, I decided to do them both.
"I always wanted to do something with my future that impacted people. I didn't want a desk job that didn't really affect people. So, I picked engineering PLUS, where I could combine the two. I want to do something where I could make the world a better place."
Cotton's major is engineering PLUS. The College of Engineering website states the Engineering PLUS degree provides students with a strong engineering foundation by including core courses in mechanical, civil, electrical, materials, and computer science. It adds a unique four-semester design curriculum built around user experience, implementing problem-solving strategies from top organizations, from business to non-profit and service sectors. Then, you add your own PLUS with your engineering electives and other electives from any department in the university.
"What I like about the engineering PLUS major is that you get to pick your emphasis. So, I focus my engineering classes more on the environmental studies area. I am also working toward minors in environmental studies and applied math."
She is not one to shy away from a challenge, but working toward an engineering degree with double minors keeps her busy.
"My classes have definitely gotten harder. So, I think my routine has just become one where I'm maximizing all the time I have. When I'm traveling with the team (volleyball), I study on the bus or airplane, or whenever I have time.
"The course load and playing volleyball are challenging. There are so many classes, and it's hard work, but they're both important (classes and volleyball). I do my best to be organized and balance my studies with volleyball. It's tough to do; that's the most challenging aspect."
It takes time and dedication to succeed, and her efforts have not gone unnoticed by her professor, Amy Moll.
"She's just a really competent, self-motivated student. She has done really well in her classes. I think, having worked with athletes, that the discipline that comes from being an athlete carries over into their studies."
Having worked with athletes in the past, Moll sees similarities between athletics and academics.
"I tell people, math is like working out in the gym. You can't not do it for a year and then go in and get all your muscles back in a weekend. You have to keep at it. You have to constantly do your homework. And that's true across all the engineering fields."
"I think Elle's ability to do that (the homework and extra effort) and to work with a team is really important. We do a lot of project-based work, and she makes the students around her better in a quiet, unassuming way. She also has really good critical thinking skills and knows how to look at a problem and attack it."
With engineering being such a demanding course of study, why has Cotton stuck with it?
"I really enjoy the work (being an engineering student). I like that we do a lot of group work, which has been fun. I didn't expect that. All my design classes were in groups, where we worked on projects all semester. That's probably what I've enjoyed the most, getting to work with different people."
Part 2, Athletics
Cotton was a multi-sport athlete growing up in Minnesota, playing volleyball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, track and some hockey. She began playing volleyball when she was eight and in the second grade. Cotton followed in the footsteps of her mother, Janet, and her older sister, Taylor, who played volleyball as well.
"I watched my sister play when I was younger; she's seven years older than me. I looked up to her a lot. My mom also played in high school, so between the two, they just got me into volleyball, and I loved it and just stuck with it."
The future Bronco was a successful prep volleyball player at Elk River High School, earning AVCA All-Region, All-Metro Third Team, and all-conference honors as a senior, to go with several accolades received during prior years.
The Boise State coaching staff, under head coach Shawn Garus, noticed Cotton playing at some junior tournaments while she was in high school and decided to recruit her as a setter.
Eventually, Cotton agreed to become a Bronco, where her success on the court continued. To date, the senior-to-be has played in 71 matches and 235 total sets. As a junior last fall, she played in every contest and was among Boise State's top servers, recording 37 service aces to rank third on the team and tie for sixth in the Mountain West.
"Elle is a great athlete," said Garus. "She has tremendous speed, quickness, jumping ability, and having all those traits as a setter is really fantastic."
During her time with the Broncos, Elle has found numerous ways to contribute on the court and is one of the more experienced student-athletes returning this fall.
"Elle came in as a setter, and that's been her primary role for us," said Garus. "She has found ways to impact the team, whether she's the primary setter or not. Her serve has proven to be deadly; she's one of our team's ace leaders and was among the conference leaders last season. She has definitely worked hard to improve her all-around skills over the years and always finds a way to impact the team."
In three years as a Boise State volleyball team member, Cotton has experienced a lot of travel time, match days, and time spent at practices. But Cotton loves the environment of being a part of Bronco volleyball and enjoys the culture around the program.
"I love how supported we are by the community. It's really cool playing in Bronco Gym for matches. It's definitely the best place to play in the conference, and it's just an awesome feeling being there with all the fans; we always feel supported. As a team, I feel like we're a really close-knit team, we're competitive, and we just have a good time when we're together."
Cotton also appreciates the overall support she and the team receive from the athletic department staff.
"I appreciate that the staff and everybody in the athletic department are really caring, and I feel like they want you to succeed in all aspects of life, which is unique. I don't think a lot of other schools have that."
Making It Work
None of Cotton's success would have been possible for her if not for the support her professors and coaches have given her over the last three years. It has been a difficult journey with another year ahead.
"We've always needed to be flexible with the academic schedules of our athletes," Garus said. "It's a little challenging with our gym restrictions in Bronco Gym when we only have it in the afternoon block, and a student-athlete is in a major with afternoon classes. It is challenging, but we've had athletes successfully balancing that. Ellie is definitely doing it at a really high level, and we support her in that."
It is also a challenge for a student-athlete like Elle. Between the class schedule, studying, practice time, traveling, and playing on match day, when does she get time to study?
"We always make time for them to study on the road," said Garus. "But Elle's not one of those who needs that. We have required study time to keep everybody on task with their academics, but Ellie, with such a demanding class schedule, finds time in addition to what we require. I'll often see her in an airport or on a bus studying."
Cotton acknowledges the support she has received from the coaching staff and appreciates how much they have given her the time to succeed both in the classroom and on the court.
"The coaches have been good about working with me. They're always letting me go if I need to go to class. They'll ask me if I need more time to study one day if I have something big coming up. They've been really accommodating in letting me excel at both. It means a lot to me. It means that they care about me as a person as well as a volleyball player."
The key to making it all work is communication.
"For us, the communication starts really early with the academic challenges," said Garus. "The student-athlete has an academic advisor within their major. But then we also have secondary people in the athletic department who are out in front of those challenges. They're looking semesters ahead at where the potential conflicts might be, and because we travel so much in the fall, the student might need to push a class to the spring when we don't have those travel demands. But that may also mean they're missing practice more in the spring. We will work for whatever is best for the student, but everyone must communicate."
In the end, Cotton faced the challenges of being a STUDENT-athlete and majoring in one of the most demanding fields head-on. She has succeeded in the classroom and on the court. Being recognized as one of the top junior engineering students at Boise State University highlights all the time attending class, studying, practicing, and competing on the court has been worth it; it has been time well spent.