University Park, Pa.- When Kourtney Chinnery attended Penn State's LEAP Program (Learning Edge Academic Program) in the summer of 2017, it was one of the first times she had been away from home.
Chinnery is from Suffolk, Virginia, which is about six and half hours away from State College, Pennsylvania, and when she made the transition from high school to college that summer, not only was it one of the few times she was away from home but it was also one the longest.
However, the LEAP program — which gives incoming first-year students at Penn State an opportunity to experience the campus, meet new people and attend classes — made the transition easier for Chinnery.
Chinnery was able to learn Penn State's campus, take three classes, including a student-athlete seminar, and make new friends with other student-athletes who completed the summer program.
"You have a head start on everyone else so when they come in you can kind of tell when people get flustered and can't find their way around campus, you already have dealt with that," Chinnery said.
While the LEAP program helped Chinnery adapt to Penn State, she still faced some challenges.
Chinnery graduated from Summit Christian Academy, which had a small number of students, so when she started taking classes during her freshman year at Penn State, she had to adjust her approach in the classroom.
"Since it's such a big school the teachers don't really know you one-on-one so you have to introduce yourself and if you need help with a concept you go to them rather than them slowing down the pace making sure that you're okay," Chinnery said.
As Chinnery adjusted her approach in the classroom, she found success competing for the gymnastics team. Chinnery competed on vault in all of Penn State's meets her freshman year and scored a career-best 9.850 in the event.
Although Chinnery had success competing for Penn State and adjusting to life in college, she spent time this past summer growing mentally and physically. Chinnery focused on changing her mindset and building her confidence, while also refining her skills.
"It was freshman year so you learn from a lot of mistakes that you make, even though it's not really mistakes it's just an adjustment. I think it was just allowing myself to have that adjustment period and to move forward from that in a positive direction," Chinnery said.
When she returned to Penn State following summer break, Penn State head coach Sarah Brown noticed a change in her. Chinnery had always been willing to put in extra work on drills in the gym to improve but now she was being more vocal about her improvement, according to Brown.
Although Chinnery has a mellow demeanor when she is competing, Brown said that she has opened up to her more this year and can see her love of gymnastics when her face lights up during her floor routine.
"I thought she did a great job going home and getting herself centered and really figuring out what was important for her and she came back and everybody knew in August she was going to have a great year this year because of how hard she worked," Brown said.
The time Chinnery spent this past summer improving has paid off this season as she has competed on vault and floor in all of Penn State's meets so far. Chinnery has been consistent on vault this year, scoring a 9.750 or higher each time she has competed in the event.
Communication with the coaching staff and her teammates has helped Chinnery stay consistent at meets. The support she receives from her coaches and teammates allows her to push through even on tough days. Additionally, she sets goals to remain consistent.
"I feel like when you set goals for yourself it really helps, so like certain things that I know I want to accomplish or certain things I want to reach it makes it easy on days where I'm struggling with school or struggling with different things," Chinnery said.
As Chinnery has competed well on vault and floor, she has also gained experience competing on bars and beam for Penn State and could compete in those events in the future.
"If she continues to work in the direction that she is I think that in her career she will see more time on bars and beam but right now were super thrilled with the amount of work she's put in," Brown said.
Until then, Chinnery is focused on the present and continuing to grow.
"I think it's staying in the moment so rather than you set goals for yourself but also you allow yourself to be human and allow yourself to trust the process," Chinnery said.
