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BRONXVILLE, N.Y. – Sarah Lawrence College will be missing a familiar face from its men's soccer team this year. And its swimming team. And its crew team, too.
Luc Mitchell (Chapel Hill, N.C., East Chapel Hill ), a five-sport athlete for the Gryphons—who is also a starter for the volleyball squad and has dabbled in cross country—has elected to take a leave of absence this fall to devote his time to November's presidential election. A student of political science, Mitchell has suspended his studies to work for the Barack Obama campaign as a field organizer in Randolph County, N.C.
"I was going to volunteer with the campaign for a few weeks, then go back to school," explains Mitchell. "When I started to think about it, I realized that it was much more important for me to help re-elect our President than to finish school a few months earlier than I would have otherwise."
Mitchell's dedication to the Gryphons' athletic programs and to the Obama campaign showcases an example of how he, like nearly every other Sarah Lawrence student, has found ways to augment his coursework by pursuing activities and projects outside the classroom.
Once described as the "men's [swimming] team's premiere distance freestyler" by Head Coach
Eric Mitchell, the senior's dedication to sport was showcased during one practice last year.
In the face of an unexpected two-mile training run, Luc recalled, "I couldn't get into my room to get my shoes, and the swim team was about to do our dry-land practice. I didn't exactly want to run in flip flops, and I wasn't about to stand watching. So, barefoot it was."
When asked how participating on an athletic team has enhanced his college experience,
Luc Mitchell (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) cited improved focus and confidence.
"Sports are great fun," he noted, "but they're also about setting goals; meeting and then surpassing them; and in the process, pushing one's limits."
Mitchell described the feeling of accomplishment as "a mixture of joy, pride, confidence, and defiance. Those emotions transcend sports, so that you're also more confident in class, or asking a girl out."
Come October, Mitchell will still be turning on the charm, but with a different goal in mind. His work with the Obama campaign means that he will spend the final three months until Election Day courting volunteers across Randolph County, and leading them in registering voters, contacting undecided voters and getting supporters to the polls.
Mitchell is expected to return to campus in spring, just in time for the conclusion of the swimming season and start of volleyball practice. If finishing his degree does require an extra semester, he could still return to the sidelines next fall. In the meantime, Mitchell's work has taken him away from campus and enabled him to pursue a project he deems personally fulfilling.
"Being a political science student, I'm obviously deeply interested in the political system, and yet my involvement with President Obama's campaign is more personal than academic," he writes. "Ultimately, I'm trying to help re-elect the person who I believe has the better vision for our country."
