Personalities of the PAC – Kelley (Richardson) Mills, Bethany College Print The PAC is thrilled to participate in the NCAA's seventh annual Division III Week – a celebration of the division's unique philosophy that equally values academics, athletics and student-athletes' involvement in a full and rich campus life. Division III Week provides an opportunity for all individuals associated with a Division III institution or conference to recognize the powerful impact of athletics and student-athletes on the campus and surrounding community. Follow all of the DIII Week stories being told across the country by checking out the Twitter hashtag #d3week. Want to tell a Division III story of your own? Use the Twitter hashtag #whyd3. Kelley (Richardson) Mills Kelley with husband Michael (Bethany '04) and children Michael (4) and Emma (13). We are thrilled to be adding another little girl in July! 2004 Bethany seniors: Katie Tetzlaw, Shannon (Boyle) Kearney, Coach DeRubbo, Kelley (Richardson) Mills and Katie Hardie. Forever friends! Kelley's senior year against one of Bethany's biggest rivals, Westminster. Bethany College Kelley graduated from Bethany in 2004 with a degree in psychology and went on to earn a master’s degree in school counseling. She is in her eighth year as an elementary school counselor in Austintown, Ohio. In 2016, she was named School Counselor of the Year in Ohio. Why Division III? To be quite honest, as a senior getting ready to graduate from high school, I wasn’t sure of the answer to this question. I didn’t know what a Division III school had to offer. As a matter of fact, I didn’t have any idea what a Division I or II school had to offer either. All I knew was that I wanted to play basketball, get an education, and have a little bit of college fun along the way. After many conversations and visits, I decided to give Bethany College a try. For whatever reason, when I stepped foot on that campus and met Coach Jina DeRubbo, something clicked for me. It wasn’t initially where I thought I would end up, but I am so grateful that it was. So many wonderful things came from my time at Bethany and I will forever be thankful. As all student-athletes know, it can be a challenge when you devote so much time to a sport that you love. For me, Division III offered a nice balance of all the important things. You get to participate in competitive athletics, but are also given the opportunity to be successful student. You can join clubs and participate in Greek Life if you choose too. You get to have fun and make your college experience what you want it to be! The bottom line is that the sport you play doesn’t define you, it only enhances your college experience and better prepares you for a successful future. Now, as a school counselor, I can appreciate how all of these things had a positive impact on my professional journey and accomplishments. Some of my best memories from college are from our basketball trips and successes that we had while there. I was lucky enough to work with a great coach that became a lifelong friend. She taught us about more than just basketball. The same goes for the players on my team. We didn’t work hard just as individuals, we poured our heart and souls into becoming better as a team. The saying, “There is no “I” in “Team””, really rang true for us. We picked each other up when someone else was down and we focused on our team goals which produced some of the best women’s basketball seasons to date. Even now, we continue to support one another years after we have graduated and moved on from Bethany. In fact, every year, we have a college reunion where many of us get together and reminisce about our memories of Bethany. This is just one more of the many blessings that came from my experience at a Division III college. By far the greatest blessing during my DIII time was meeting my husband, Michael, who played football at Bethany. We now have two beautiful children, with our third on the way! To this day, he tells people “I was the captain of the football team and she was the captain of the basketball team and the rest is history”. I think because of our shared connection of being student-athletes along with our similar values, we connected from day one. We had a mutual respect for the hard work and dedication that it can take, and appreciated all the good things that those experiences produced for us. We still laugh daily about our experiences and the fun that we had while at Bethany. In closing, I hope that you will consider Division III as a student-athlete because “why not?” It is an experience like no other that provides intense athletic competition, but also recognizes the importance of academics and the fun college experience. As I continue to move forward in life, I will forever carry my time at Bethany in my heart. My teammates and coaches will always be family, and I will continue to share my memories with others. I hope that you choose DIII and can have the same incredible experience that you will talk about for years to come. Good luck!