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When Paige Hensley (‘22) arrived at Lincoln Trail College, she wasn’t sure exactly what her future would look like. What she did know was that she wanted to keep playing soccer and find a college that was affordable and close enough to home in Columbia, Missouri, but far enough away to push her toward independence. “Lincoln Trail allowed me the chance to have a shot at continuing my athletic dream in a realistic manner because I could afford it,” she said. “It was a close-knit community where everyone wanted to grow. We made memories no one could ever imagine, and it was the best decision ever.”
That decision set Hensley on a path that has blended athletics, creativity, and opportunity in ways she never anticipated. Today, she’s working in collegiate athletics in Kentucky while pursuing her MBA with a concentration in marketing. Along the way, she discovered her passion for using graphic design, marketing, and photography to help athletes shine.
Discovering a Niche in Athletics
Hensley came to LTC with a background in graphic design from high school. She didn’t want to major in it at a university, but she wanted to keep building her skills. Working in the LTC Marketing Office turned out to be the perfect fit. “The Marketing Office allowed me to stay on top of the skills I had and use a few that I wouldn’t normally use,” she said. “After working that year, I knew my place was in athletics. I enjoyed doing all the marketing and design for the athletes.”
Her connection to LTC Athletics deepened when she began working directly with teams. Photographing games and creating graphics for players gave her an unexpected sense of fulfillment. “One of the biggest lessons I learned at LTC is that all opportunities are an opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life,” she explained. “There were players who didn’t have much film, and sometimes my images helped secure them a spot on another team. That was huge to me.”
Preparing for the Next Step
Lincoln Trail’s small classes and supportive professors also gave Hensley a foundation that prepared her for the challenges of transferring to Eastern Illinois University. “I went through some mentally tough challenges when I first started at EIU,” she admitted. “Had I not been so far along because of Lincoln Trail, I think I genuinely would have given up. That C I got my first semester didn’t define me like I thought it would.”
EIU opened new doors, including a coveted internship at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Doing the College Program at IMS was huge for me,” she said. “I had grown up going to NASCAR races, but I never imagined something like this existed. It showed me how much of an army it takes to make these huge events function. I met people every morning like Doug Boles, and it helped me gain so many connections.”
At the same time, she never lost her connection to LTC. She continued to work with LTC Athletics while at EIU, balancing her studies with producing marketing materials and photography for the Statesmen. “I wasn’t really ready to say goodbye to being an athlete,” she said. “So being able to help within sports and help athletes reach their goals was truly one of the best feelings in the world.”
Confidence, Creativity, and Career
Looking back, Hensley says her proudest moments at LTC weren’t about her own achievements, but about the impact she could have on others. Still, she remembers the thrill of seeing her photos shared by players and teams. “I still remember capturing my first frozen ball shot in baseball,” she recalled. “Seeing the teams use that photo as their profile picture was so rewarding. It showed how much they appreciated my work.”
That sense of pride fueled her decision-making as she approached graduation. When faced with an opportunity to join the Disney College Program in Orlando, she surprised even herself by turning it down. “I had already paid my fees and was two weeks away from moving in,” she said. “But I opted out because I kept thinking about the job at Lincoln Trail and how Disney would always be there. When opportunity knocks, you take it and never look back.”
What Comes Next
Today, Hensley is working as an Administrative Assistant at an NAIA institution in Kentucky, supporting its human performance programs while pursuing her MBA. The role may not look exactly like the sports marketing jobs she once imagined, but she sees it as another step in her journey. “I’ve learned that when the right job is supposed to come around, it will,” she said. “I’m still doing everything I love, just in a different manner.”
Her advice to current LTC students is straightforward: don’t doubt yourself. “Don’t second-guess it,” she said. “When opportunity knocks, you take it. If a wrench gets thrown in your plan, it was meant to be.”
For Hensley, that philosophy has carried her from Missouri to LTC, from EIU to Indianapolis, and now to Kentucky. Along the way, she’s proven that you don’t have to be on the field to make a difference in athletics — sometimes the real impact comes from behind the camera, in the design studio, and in the stories told about the athletes who play.
