A conversation with Anna Clayton is
sure to be filled with laughter and jokes. She is lovingly described by her
friends as crazy, fun, and adventurous. Like the song from her favorite movie the
“Lion King” “Hakuna Matata,” it seems like she has no worries in the world
because she is very optimistic and encouraging to others who are dealing with
the difficulties of life. Her strong convictions in her faith help her when
life is really rough.
“My relationship with God is a huge
part of my college experience,” said Clayton. “I trust him and His plan.”
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| Photo by Lydia Huggins Anna Clayton getting ready to teach kids swim lessons. |
According to Clayton, part of God’s
plan included attending University of the Cumberlands. As a member of UC’s
women’s swim team, she has been a national qualifier, a four-time all-American,
and has broken a couple of school records with her team. At the 2016 nationals,
she was a part of the team that broke the 200 freestyle relay and the 800
freestyle relay. Last year, she wasn’t able to swim for six months because she
had torn tendons in her wrist and thumb area. She had to adjust and keep
herself busy because after 14 years of swimming, she missed it a lot.
Clayton has learned to juggle the
challenges that come with being a student and athlete. Not only was she a
dedicated student and athlete, but she was also a Resident Assistant, a member
of UC’s Student Government Association and taught swim lessons.
“I saw a fighter because she had
homework with psychology and criminal justice, swimming, and demands of being
an RA,” said Cierra Gamble, friend, fellow RA and Harry Potter enthusiast. “It
can get to a person and through it all she kept who she was.”
Her relationship with God has
helped her through college. According to Clayton, He gave her opportunities to
sing in the praise and worship band at her church and invest more time in her
friends and job when she got her injury. This year, Clayton and her friend,
Stefan Johnson, led the swimmer’s life group together.
“Anna’s gotten them to read their
bibles, helped them to grow, and has been their mentor,” said Johnson. “I’ve
seen her grow a lot. She’s great for support and a good friend. She’s an
amazing young woman who can accomplish anything that she puts her mind to.”
When Clayton came to college, her
parents encouraged her to make her faith her own. According to Clayton, her mom
showed her what unconditional love from Jesus looks like. She has always wanted
to love people like her mom loves them. Her close friend, Grace Van Ryckeghem,
described her character in such a way that she does.
“She has a great strength and a
heart that really cares for people,” said Van Ryckeghem, captain of the women’s
swim team at UC. “It’s a friendship that is so rare to find. Someone who is
willing to walk with you in life through everything. She’s going to be there
for you any way that she can.”
Van Ryckeghem and Clayton have
walked, swam, and danced alongside of each other ever since they were freshman.
As swimmers, they spend a lot of time with each other in the pool, weight room,
traveling, and on dry land. When they were freshman, they entered a Gillespie
house council pageant. They had fun getting dressed up and dancing to “Peanut
Butter and Jelly Time” as their talent.
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| Photo by Lydia Huggins Morgan Plowman, Grace Van Ryckeghem, and Anna Clayton going on an adventure to Walmart. |
“She’s really crazy and fun to be
around,” said Van Ryckeghem. “You’re never going to be bored. That’s life with
Anna, you never know what new adventure you’re going on. Even going to Walmart
is an adventure.”
Along
with playing Walmart tag as an adventure with friends, Clayton likes to go
hiking, driving late at night with the windows rolled down and music playing
loud, sitting around a bonfire with friends and s’mores.
“It’s all about the people,” said Clayton. “Find
some friends, invest in them, and be vulnerable and open with them. Go
adventure with them all over the place.”
Clayton also loves to read and
write adventurous, fiction stories as well as live them. Whenever she’s
stressed out, she reads her favorite book, “Peter Pan.” Since she can’t be a
kid forever like Peter Pan, Clayton plans to use her major in psychology and
minor in criminal justice to be a probation or parole officer before becoming a
profiler. She is heartbroken by the things she learns in class and wants help
improve the justice system. She would also like to join the Coast Guard to
serve her country because as she says, “The water is kind of like my domain, my
home.”
Although, as of right now, her
plans aren’t quite solid. “I keep telling people that it’s a surprise for everyone
including myself,” said Clayton.
After going home for the summer,
she hopes to move to Nashville, Tennessee. She looks forward to living in a big
city with lots of opportunities and family nearby.
Clayton has learned to embrace the
differences of others. This perspective has helped her make friends with people
from a variety of backgrounds. In the case with her friend Cierra Gamble, they
went from unlikely friends to close friends sharing in many adventures
together. Clayton had the opportunity to take Gamble to the beach for the first
time where they enjoyed long boarding together as well as saving two starfish
instead of keeping them.
“We realized that on the outside we
looked different like our social circles and everything were different, but a lot
of the things we believed in, loved, and were passionate about were exactly the
same,” said Gamble.
Along with the advice of investing
in friends, Clayton also has perspective to share with incoming freshman.
“Take some more time to study a little bit
because that math grade is going to last a lot longer than that cute boy. All
freshman need to hear that,” said Clayton with a laugh. “Cumberlands is a great
place to grow in your faith. There are a lot of people standing around, waiting
to nurture you, and invest in you and it’s awesome.”
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