A Maize and Blue Bow

Deciding between Duke, Michigan State University, Yale and University of Michigan, Burns went into the college search looking for a strong academic college, one that would support her rowing as well as her interest in engineering. Through her rowing, Burns was able to get into to a college that otherwise may have turned her down. “I definitely wouldn’t get into Yale or Duke without rowing, but rowing gave me the ability to do that,” said Burns, though in the end choosing to go to U of M.

Looking to get away a little, Burns applied to out of state colleges as well as in state, but in the end decided to stay in Michigan. “Going on my visit[s],I really couldn’t see myself going anywhere else,” said Burns “I’ve been cheering for Michigan my whole life, [and] it just feels so right.” A months after her visit to Duke, Burns orally committed to U of M establishing her place on the U of M women’s crew team for hopefully the next four years.With a hefty scholarship in hand, Burns has set her goals high and is still anticipating a reply from the U of M School of Engineering. U of M’s strong engineering program playing a role in her final decision to attend U of M in the Fall of 2017. Though she hopes to row for the next four years of her college career, a professional career is still up in the air. But no matter what Burns decides to do, rowing has influenced her life in more ways than she could count— shaped her to be the person she is today.