Byram native breaks barriers at Virginia Tech
By Laurie Gordon
Byram — Ashley Kowalski has a full plate. The Byram native is a sophomore at Virginia Tech where she has become the first female cadet and student athlete in the school's history.
A member of Kilo Battery-18 in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Army ROTC, Kowalski also wears number 16 on the Virginia Tech Varsity Softball team, playing Division I — all while juggling classes for both a major and minor course of study.
"It's very hectic," she said, "When I have Army physical training, I have softball lift. When I have certain corps events I usually have softball practice. In the Corps you have what is called ECQ (1900-2300 evening call to quarters). As a freshman it's mandatory to do only academic work during these hours."
The sophomore has largely maintained this schedule, suspending her softball and cadet duties in order to focus on coursework while also managing to get in some study time during the day.
Kowalski grew up on Brookwood Road and attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell, where she played varsity softball, varsity soccer and varsity bowing.
"All my life I played softball and the years playing up until graduation I was determined to play on the collegiate level," she said.
To that end, she played on a team called NJ Intensity, which helps aspiring atheletes gain admission into top tier schools to play softball. Kowalski said she was recruited to play softball by West Point, the Coast Guard Academy and East Carolina University.
"Unfortunately my luck did not pan out for either military academies," she said, "Time was also of the essence. I didn't just want the normal life as a college student athlete. I knew I wanted something more." Kowalski said she knew Virginia Tech had a prestigious Corps of Cadets and wanted to have the military component in college as well.
She picked VT because of the Cadet program and high rate of commissioned officers that came out, their academics and the opportunity to play softball there.
"I had gotten into VT and my dreams of playing softball went out the window until I spoke with Coach Thomas who told me to come to a tryout in the fall," she said.
As for being the only female Cadet-student athlete, Kowalski said, "It is certainly very rewarding to be the only one to do this. I want to set a good example for my teammates on my team as well as my peers in the corps and the freshmen that I am in charge of. Knowing that no other woman has ever played a D1 sport and engaged in the Corps makes me very proud.It makes my teammates and my battle buds very proud as well and I never want to let them down."
Kowalski is a human development major with a minor in psychology and leadership. On scholarship with the Army, she is considered enlisted with the National Guard. Upon graduation she will be commissioned as a second lieutenant.
"In the Guard I want to branch military police or military intelligence," Kowalski said, "As a civilian job I hope to pursue a job in law enforcement possibly a police officer or becoming a state trooper."