Freshman Spotlight: Caitlyn Claussen
07/15/2016 | 3:03:00 | Women's Basketball
Throughout the remainder of the summer, the Saluki women's basketball team will be introducing fans to each of their five new freshman. Next up is Caitlyn Claussen. Caitlyn was a two-sport athlete at Wamego high school in Manhattan, Kan., as the 6-foot guard/forward played both basketball and softball for the Red Raiders.
CARBONDALE, Ill. – From playing for a state championship on her high school's basketball team as a sophomore to helping lead her school's softball team to a league championship as an all-conference performer her senior year, Saluki freshman Caitlyn Claussen arrives in Carbondale following a decorated high school career. Not only does she arrive as an accomplished student-athlete, but the Manhattan, Kan. native is a member of the National Honors Society who was the valedictorian of her graduating class. So while picking just one high school memory to highlight as a favorite could prove understandably difficult, it wasn't for Caitlyn. Her choice wasn't a sporting event, an award she won or a speech she had given; rather it was her volunteer work with a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring America's veterans that left a lifelong impression.
Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization that honors veterans while helping to provide closure. The organization does so by transporting America's veterans to Washington D.C., free of charge, to visit the National Mall and Memorial Parks. Wamego High School joined the Kansas Honor Flight Network in 2012, and has since accompanied four groups of veterans to the nation's capital. Caitlyn was lucky enough to make two trips with Honor Flight and developed a deep appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed so much to protect our country's freedom.
"Besides visiting our nation's capital, (Honor Flight) is special because each trip bridges the gap between generations," Claussen said. "(Honor Flight) also makes sure that the sacrifices made by the generations before are not made in vain."
As a junior Caitlyn escorted Alan Shineman, a veteran of the Korean War. The following year, she accompanied Renzie Poe Jr., a veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The trips provided Caitlyn with hands-on history lessons, as well as prospective on what it was like to be an 18-year old who had just been drafted into the military during a time of war.
"(Honor Flight) shows that history is not just a subject to be studied in school," Claussen said. "Veterans on our trips were often times the same age as I am when they were called on to serve our country. That gave me a new appreciation for what they went through."
During each trip, 25 Wamego high school students accompanied 25 veterans and saw the likes of the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery. Once back in Wamego, veterans receive a hero's welcome complete with a homecoming celebration.
"Through my involvement with Honor Flight, I not only gained new friends, but will never take for granted the freedom afforded to me by the brave men and women of the armed services, both retired and currently serving," Claussen said.
Caitlyn will begin her freshman year at SIU as a sports administration major.
