Colby Ramshaw has dreamed of attending UNH for about as long as he can remember. As a young football player and “New Hampshire kid,” he was hoping for a chance to one day join the Wildcats on the gridiron.
Thanks in part to a full scholarship, he was able to fulfill that dream.
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Your support for the Wildcat Athletics Fund has a significant impact on all our student-athletes and enables us to provide the resources and opportunities that impact their time at UNH and beyond. The Wildcats for Life campaign, which wraps up on Oct. 10, directly strengthens this fund and makes it possible for us to offer advances in health and well-being, academic and athletic performance, and personal development. Join us in making a real difference for Wildcats on and off the field by making your gift to the Wildcat Athletics Fund during this dedicated campaign, or any time throughout the year.
“Being from New Hampshire, UNH is really the school I always wanted to attend,” Ramshaw says. “To have the opportunity to not only play football here, but to receive a scholarship and to be able to use all the different resources it provides is super important, and something that I’ve been very grateful for.”
That gratitude has only grown in the wake of some physical adversity, and has extended to include donors to the Wildcat Athletics Fund through the Wildcats for Life campaign. Ramshaw tore the ACL in his knee early this football season, and he credits the UNH athletic training staff and rehab facilities on campus for helping him through his pre-recovery prior to heading into surgery.
The Wildcats for Life campaign plays a critical role in providing resources like that to student-athletes across all sports at UNH. Now in its third year of existence, the campaign is designed to foster a sense of enduring pride.
“The key for us is providing such an outstanding experience while they are here that these student-athletes remain engaged with us as Wildcats for life. It’s a bit of a full circle thing, showing them that they are part of something bigger than themselves,” says UNH Director of Athletics Allison Rich. “It’s about providing the support and resources our student-athletes need to be successful both during their time at UNH and when they go out in the world and contribute as global citizens.”
The Wildcats for Life campaign has three primary pillars – health and well-being, academic support, and travel for postseason championships. Health and well-being covers all facets of physical and mental health, including things like fueling stations where students can grab snacks on the run to keep energy up for practice, as well as athletic medicine and conditioning support and ensuring that UNH has access to the latest recovery modalities and strength and conditioning resources. It also includes dedicated mental health support for student-athletes on a weekly basis.
Academic support covers a wide range of things off the field, from life-skills training to career preparedness and development. Alumni often return to campus for speed networking panels where they can talk to students about different career paths, and student-athletes can also take advantage of help learning how to write a resume or gaining financial education to teach them about fiscal responsibility.
Travel for postseason championships covers the cost when UNH teams must travel from campus to participate in playoffs and tournaments, including hotel rooms and making sure student-athletes have access to proper nutrition ahead of competition.
The impact of that donor support is certainly felt by the student-athletes, as evidenced by Ramshaw’s experience. The scholarship that helped bring him to UNH and the treatment options available to him as he rehabs a significant injury are the kinds of things that encourage a lifelong relationship with the university.
“It means a lot to know that the experiences of our alumni are so good here that they want to contribute to future athletes and hopefully improve their time on campus,” Ramshaw says. “I definitely wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in now without the people who came before me.”
