Dusty Kiaski hears his alarm clock go off at 9 a.m. and jumps out of bed. It is game day for the soccer captain, so he has gotten at least eight hours of sleep. He gulps down a protein shake.
“My first thought every game day is about the team,” said Kiaski, a senior accounting major. “I think about the things we went over and about the team we will be playing.”
On game day mornings, he likes to listen to music.
“I usually listen to either Taking Back Sunday or the Dangerous Summer to get myself psyched for the game.”
Kiaski has a 9:45 a.m. class on game days and a class at 1 p.m. that is right before his game. Despite the pressure of the upcoming game, he is still able to focus on his class work and the lecture.
Like Kiaski, other successful students, staff and faculty at Otterbein have morning routines that help them start their days on the right foot.
Emily Edwards
Emily Edwards, junior organizational communication major and Campus Programming Board president, said her morning routine starts the previous evening.
“Every night before I go to bed, I write Post-it notes of things I have to do tomorrow,” Edwards said.
Doing so helps motivate her in the morning because it gives her something to work toward, she said.
Edwards gets up at about 7:30 a.m. — two hours before her first class — to make sure she has time to do her morning checklist.
The first thing she does every morning is check her Facebook, Otterbein inbox, and other email inboxes. She then watches some of “The Today Show” to know what is happening in the world.
Kathy Krendl
Otterbein President Kathy Krendl likes to walk the bike trail near her home on weekend mornings, especially during fall when the leaves are changing color.
“I walk the bike path because I really do enjoy the scenery as I walk the path,” Krendl said.
Another thing Krendl likes to do during her weekend mornings is spend time with her kids or go kayaking.
During the week, Krendl usually wakes up at 5:30 a.m. so she can fit in her morning exercise or take a walk. She then checks her lecture notes for the day.
Before heading off to Otterbein, Krendl checks her email to make sure she didn’t receive any updates throughout the night.
John Kengla
Otterbein professor John Kengla is a leader in the Ubuntu program, which helps high school students prepare for college by having them partner with student volunteers.
Kengla wakes up at around five in the morning to finish the work he was unable to finish the night before. He checks notes and handouts he will use in his lectures for the day to make sure the information he is covering in his class will be new information to his students.
The last thing he does before he eats breakfast is check his
Otterbein email for any updates he might have.
He then takes his dog out for a walk.
“He is a really good dog, so sometimes he gets to go on a walk without the leash,” he said.
After he and his dog have gotten their morning exercise, Kengla heads to Otterbein to teach.
Weighing the cost of being a student
