“You Can Be Resilient” — Priscilla Bibeau (’22, Management)
For anyone, tearing an ACL is a life-altering injury, but for an athlete, it can be devastating. That’s exactly what happened to Priscilla Bibeau her sophomore year. Having been a regular in the starting lineup for the Bentley Women’s Lacrosse team, the injury she sustained was a blow for her and her team. While she recovered from her injury for the rest of her sophomore year, she found herself getting involved in other organizations that she hadn’t had as much time for in conjunction with lacrosse her freshman year. Today, some her involvements include being a Resident Assistant (RA), a tutor for the Writing Center, an Admissions Fellow, the incoming President of the Bentley Leadership society, and of course a member of the Bentley Women’s Lacrosse team. Despite the injury putting her collegiate athletic career on hold, Priscilla was able to find some of the positives the situation presented. For one, the injury showed just how resilient she could be during such a difficult time.
In high school, Priscilla was a three-sport athlete who wanted to be able to continue her athletic career through college. She was eventually given this privilege when she was recruited by Bentley to play both field hockey and lacrosse—but only continued with lacrosse, as playing two college sports is extremely demanding. During her freshmen year, she started every game and had quickly become an integral player for the team. Her second season during her sophomore year began the same way—until she tore her ACL during play. While no injury is good for an athlete, a torn ACL is one of the worst. She was sidelined for the remainder of the season and was abruptly shut out of something she had invested so much time and effort into. As an RA, she lived alone which meant all the daily activities she once could do almost involuntarily, now required a great deal of time and effort. In discussing the time after her injury, Priscilla said, “there were so many little obstacles that people didn’t see, and it was even harder living alone—it really changed me, physically, mentally, and emotionally.”
While Priscilla has been a member of the Bentley Leadership Society since her freshmen year, she really rose through the ranks after her injury. Most recently, she served as the Vice President and starting next fall she will serve as the organization’s President. The Leadership Society strives to teach Bentley students the leadership skills they need to succeed as leaders at Bentley and beyond. The club provides those involved with leadership workshops as well as a variety of different guest speakers. But for Priscilla, the organization has been a way for her to really hone her leadership skills as well as meet and build relationships with others. In speaking about what it takes to be a successful leader, she says that “leadership is achieved through actions” and that “being a leader is about the followers first and foremost—the leader comes second.”
Despite having sustained an injury that forced her to put a heavy focus on herself, Priscilla’s commitment to helping others, especially freshmen, never wavered. With her roles as RA, Writing Center tutor, and Admissions Fellow, it is clear that she is invested in the success of others and wants to help them overcome anything they struggle with. As an RA for freshmen, she knows she plays a vital role in their college experience especially during a time that can have a major impact on them. She expressed how rewarding the job can be with the trust that her residents put in her. She said that one resident even came out to her during their freshman year. But her desire to help those younger than her didn’t cease there. Before she tore her ACL, she was a campus tour guide but had to stop after her injury. Instead, she was able to take on the role of an Admissions Fellow—once again, helping younger students. In speaking about the advice, she gives to prospective freshmen, she tells them to “soak it all in” adding, “you won’t know if you like something unless you try it.”
After meeting Priscilla and learning about her numerous involvements, one would have trouble believing she suffered such a significant injury nearly a year ago. The way she was able to overcome it is a true testament to her resilient character. It is important to note that at the time of the interview, Priscilla was awaiting a diagnosis for injury to her other knee from playing lacrosse. At the time of writing, she received her diagnosis as being another torn ACL. In the span of less than two years, she is preparing to deal with yet another setback. But having already gone through the injury once and having gained a variety of skills from her involvements on campus, there is no doubt she will come out of this even stronger.