Saint Louis University women’s basketball senior Kathryn Hester has had a winding journey of a college basketball career, marked by the elation of success, the crushing defeats and an uncanny ability to adapt and prosper despite whatever roadblocks she may have found.

Venturing to a new school after her sophomore year and having to sit out a year per NCAA transfer rules? Enduring a knee injury her senior season? No sweat. Despite some challenging circumstances, Hester has a quality that not many possess in the face of adversity—perspective.

“We have been through some really tough things in basketball, and it has made me such a better person. Just all the friends I have made, the lifelong friends…it is crazy to think about the relationships you’re going to have the rest of your life because of being a college athlete,” Hester said.

She first picked up a basketball at age five, an age when most of us were figuring out how to put our shoes on the right feet without mom’s help. Born and raised in North Carolina, Hester began playing basketball competitively in middle school, catching on with an AAU team in 7^th grade.

One of the people who had the biggest impact on her basketball career was her mother. Kathryn was free to play what she enjoyed, and her mom paved the way for her to develop her skills as a basketball player and supported her throughout.

“My mom has been that person from day one who put me in sports and let me choose to do whatever I wanted to do, and has always been there for me. She is always there, and I know she is always my No. 1 fan,” Hester said.

When high school rolled around, college coaches started taking notice of her play, and a future in basketball became a reality for her.

“I did not realize how seriously I wanted to pursue basketball in my future until I got to sophomore, maybe junior year of high school. That’s when coaches started calling me and recruiting me,” Hester said.

Hester’s sights were set on the University of North Carolina- Charlotte, where she had participated in numerous skills camps and whose head coach had been recruiting her since 8^th grade. When the time to commit was nearing, Hester received a phone call from the head coach at UNC- Charlotte telling her that he was no longer coaching at the university.

All was not lost, however. The coach which had so diligently recruited Hester had taken the head-coaching job at the University of Miami and offered Hester a scholarship to play there, which she accepted.

After two years with the Hurricanes, Hester sought to transfer.

Enter SLU head coach Shimmy Gray-Miller.

Hester visited SLU as well as schools such as Atlantic-10 rival Massachusetts. After visiting UMass, Hester knew that SLU was the place she needed to be.

“I just knew I wanted to go to SLU. I remember the first time I talked to Coach Gray. I was sitting on the curb and talking to her, and I just knew. She was interested in me, and not just because I was a basketball player,” Hester said.

Hester cited Coach Gray-Miller as one of the people who impacted her most not just as a basketball player, but a person.

“She took a chance on me, and she believed in me, and that is what meant the most to me. That motivated me to be successful at a Division I university,” Hester said.

Coming from Miami to St. Louis, Hester fit right in due to the support from her teammates and the coaching staff. When adjusting to the weather is one of the toughest parts about transferring schools, you know you have found a home.

“It was a lot easier for me just because of the people I was around… These people did not even know me, and they act like they have known me for so long. It was just a family atmosphere.”

As a Billiken on the court, Hester has been a solid player in the post, contributing 6.7 points and 4 rebounds per game. Standing at 6-foot-2-inches, her size and athleticism have continued to help the Billikens disrupt shots in the middle and pull down key rebounds. This season, despite not playing since the A-10 opener Jan. 8 due to injury, she has averaged 7.4 points per game and provided key senior leadership.

Unfortunately, the clock is winding down on Hester’s SLU basketball career. When sorting through the great memories she has from playing here at SLU, surprisingly one of her favorite moments as a Billiken is one of the most gut-wrenching losses she has ever endured.

In Hester’s first year at SLU, the Billikens squared off against No. 17 ranked Xavier at Chaifetz Arena. The Bills fought and clawed all the way to the end, but despite the valiant effort, they fell short 67-70.

Hester realizes something that many do not: that no score, no statistics, no highlight reel can ever encapsulate the most important parts about a team—their heart and their unity.

“I was not playing, but I have never been part of a team that came together more for one game. We played our butts off and came together so much as a team. I have never hurt that bad, and I did not even play,” she said.

After Hester wraps up her college career at SLU, she has plans of playing overseas and hopes to eventually earn her nursing degree.

“I know it is within my reach, and I am going to continue working and getting better and pursuing it,” Hester said. “But I’m not worrying about that until the season is over.”