Three-time reigning high school tennis State Champion, Susanne Boyden, has won yet another title. Many community members have followed Boyden’s tennis career for as long as they can remember and are curious to see where it will take her next, or if she will continue to play at the college level.

Boyden’s support group extends beyond the Wakefield community, and her parents and other family members are extremely proud of all of her accomplishments. She is excited to start the next chapter of her life and has announced that she will be continuing her tennis career at California Polytechnic State University, a Division 1 university in the Big West Conference.

“When I visited Cal Poly, it felt like home,” said Boyden. “I felt as if I belonged there. It’s all I have ever wanted in a college.”

Boyden was offered a full ride to attend Cal Poly, but also had other offers from universities such as: Rutgers, University of Delaware, North Carolina State University, Pennsylvania State University, and Elon University.

“I’m looking forward to playing with the girls on the Cal Poly team,” said Boyden. “Playing as a college athlete will be an amazing experience and I am very excited to meet great people and live on such a gorgeous campus in a town with beautiful weather, year round.”

California Polytechnic State University, located in San Luis Obispo, California, was named one of the most beautiful cities by Oprah Winfrey, herself. The weather remains around seventy degrees, and the environment features suburban-living with a large population of students.

“When I was looking at schools, distance wasn’t a big factor,” said Boyden. “I was looking at a lot of schools close to home and ones really far away.  It just so happens the one I absolutely loved was the furthest away. However, by going far away I think it will be great experience to meet new people and figure out who I am.”

Although she will not be able to see her immediate family often, Boyden will be near her extended family who live on the West Coast, including cousins, aunts, and uncles, who plan on attending her tennis matches regularly. Boyden confessed that she will certainly miss her friends and family, but for her, the pros of going far away for college outweighed the cons.

“[Cal Poly] was my favorite campus and it had the best college town out of the schools I was looking at,” said Boyden. “I love the girls on the team; they are really sweet and fun to be around, and the coach is nice but knows how to get her message across.”

With an assertive coach and a talented team, Boyden is destined for success at Cal Poly. From an academic standpoint, she is unsure of her desired majors/minors, but they will certainly relate to her love for business studies.

“In the future, I want to work for a Fortune 500 company,” said Boyden. “I would love to live in California after college, and maybe attend the University of California at Los Angeles for graduate school. If I decide to come back to North Carolina, I would like to attend the University North Carolina at Chapel Hill for graduate school.”

Leaving Wakefield behind will not be an easy endeavor for three-time State Champion, Susanne Boyden; however, she has a bright future ahead of her and an enormous amount of support back home. The legacy that Boyden will leave behind at Wakefield is sure to be remembered forever.