Most Valuable Summer
From Kenyon News - September 4, 2013
One year and 62,000 words into writing his first novel, Nate Lotze ’14 is penning a page a day until he finishes a rough draft—hopefully, he says, by the end of the semester. “It would be awesome if I could finish the editing and polishing process by graduation,” he said.
It is the same dedication that drove the English major and baseball player to perform double-duty this summer as an infielder for the Perfect Game Collegiate League and as an intern for Friends of Glimmerglass State Park in Cooperstown, N.Y. Lotze relied on routine to balance the demands of his two roles. “I found that by being diligent about setting aside the first half of my day for work and the second for baseball, I was able to do both well and have time for other activities,” he said.
Lotze led his team, the Cooperstown Hawkeyes, in hitting for the season and was named to the league’s all-star team, becoming one of the few Division III athletes to earn that honor. He credits his three years of starting at Kenyon with preparing him to compete alongside top collegiate players from across the country. “That can only help his maturation as a player,” Matt Burdette, head baseball coach at Kenyon, said, calling the team captain a “consummate leader, great teammate, and mature beyond his years.”
Before hitting the Hawkeyes’ practice field each afternoon, Lotze clocked in to his morning job as a public relations intern at the state park. His responsibilities there included writing press releases, managing social media sites, conducting interviews and meeting with local government officials. “Being able to play in a quality collegiate league while gaining valuable work experience made for a very enriching summer,” he said.
As he enters his senior year at Kenyon, the Littleton, Colo., native is positioning himself for a career in the non-profit field. “My goal is to have a job that I am passionate about and that allows me to make a positive difference in the world,” said Lotze, who is in the process of applying to the Peace Corps and Environment America as well as to non-profit jobs that strike his interest.
Lotze also plans to continue his creative writing pursuits. His novel, which is based on his experiences at Kenyon, follows a character during college and the few years that follow as “he tries to start a life for himself.” While Lotze eventually hopes to get published with the support of his professors, he said he is taking the process a step at a time. “Right now, I’m just focused on finishing the first draft,” he said.