Written by Kaylie Weideman. Media by Joseph Wood.
Heidi Koehl is a Greenville alumnus from Belleville, IL. She attended Althoff Catholic High School before continuing her education here at what used to be Greenville College. Koehl was first introduced to Greenville by the women’s soccer coach at the time, and soon fell in love with everything about the campus when she visited.
She said, “I fell in love with the school, the team, and the environment here and have been here ever since! Because of my love for Greenville and the experiences I had on and off the field, I now love recruiting because I want others to have that great, life-changing experience.” While at Greenville, she was the starting goalkeeper all four years and she “loved every minute of it.”
Koehl has been on campus since 2010. She graduated from GC in 2014 with a degree in Psychology and Business Management. After graduation, she became the Graduate Assistant for the women’s soccer team for the next two years. She graduated in May of 2017 with her Masters in Business Administration and is now the Associate Head Women’s Soccer Coach while working in the Office of Admissions.
God has been an important part of her life. “God has proven himself faithful in my life,” Koehl explained, “I have been through a fair share of ups and downs, as we all have in the roller coaster of life, and I’m thankful to say I haven’t had to go at it alone. Christ has been my rock and helped me through a lot of rough patches in life. It is my goal to shine His light and help others to rely and lean on Him. Because of His faithfulness and the love He gives that I don’t deserve, I feel very committed and encouraged to share that with others. Through my time at Greenville as a student, and now as staff and coach, it is clear to me that God brought me to Greenville for a reason and I’m here to serve him, to encourage and to affirm others on their walk.”
Hobbies for Koehl include being a part of a not-for-profit ministry, Peter’s Place Foundation, which she is passionate about and helps out with as much as her schedule will allow. She also enjoys working out, spending time with her friends, working on DIY projects, and reading.
The soccer fields are Koehl’s favorite part of campus. She loves spending time at practice and helping the soccer team grow and learn more and more every day about new tricks, formations, techniques – even life lessons. She loves more than anything else when the team comes together to pray at the end of each practice and game. She also likes the soccer fields as a peaceful place to enjoy a good book and to go stargazing when the weather is nice.
Hibachi’s Buffet and Grill, a restaurant in the square in Greenville, is one of Koehl’s favorite places to eat! She likes to go eat with friends or with girls on the soccer team. Koehl is very personable, so if you see her coaching at a soccer game or just walking around campus, be sure to introduce yourself, while cheering on the Panthers!
One of the main reasons Greenville is a special place to so many people, is because of stellar people like Heidi Koehl. So, I’m grateful to the Papyrus, and especially to Kaylie Weideman for writing and publishing this article.