Impact of a Scholarship: Kristen Confroy

After four seasons full of Maryland Basketball, academic honors, and admission to medical school at Wake Forest University, Kristen Confroy confidently says the University of Maryland had a significant influence on her life and will be a place she can forever call home.

Confroy was born in Troy, Ohio, but it wasn’ long before her family began to move all around. She moved to Tennessee, North Carolina, Michigan, and back to Ohio again before she found her way to Maryland where she truly flourished.

Having the opportunity to be a Division I student-athlete, while also focusing on her dreams of graduating from medical school was completely attainable at a school like Maryland.

“Part of the reason I picked Maryland was because of Coach Frese’s commitment to us as women, not just basketball players,” Confroy explains. “She was always super flexible and willing to help me with whatever I needed in order to get stuff done.”

Confroy knew this would help her thrive both academically and athletically at the university. Being a scholarship student-athlete at Maryland was an incredible experience and exceeded all her expectations. 

“There are so many stressors that are involved in college, and adding on the layer of Division I basketball adds a drastic amount of outside pressure,” Confroy said. “With basketball, I was on a full scholarship so my food, rent, travel, everything was covered. It's just incredible to be able to graduate without any debt, especially now that things have become so expensive.”

Beyond the financial impact of the scholarship, Confroy experienced a vast amount of intangible benefits as well. The people she had the ability to form relationships with inside the Terrapin Club, the support she received from everyone around her, in addition to the resources she had available, made a huge impact on her success going into medical school.

In order to apply for medical school, Confroy was required to meet a number of hours shadowing a physician, which was rather difficult while also juggling her busy schedule as a full-time student-athlete. Long-time Terrapin Club member, Phillip Schneider, was happy to lend a helping hand and allowed her to work with him and one of his partners, Dr. Daniel Pereles, in the clinic Thursday mornings.

Confroy also had the pleasure of meeting former Terrapin Club president, Colin Potts, at a donor event. He was a part of the Regenerative Orthopedics and Sports Medicine (ROSM) team and generously pulled the prospective medical student, at the time, under his wing to give Confroy even more clinical experience. 

“I loved the opportunity to learn from Dr. John Ferrell and the rest of the ROSM staff,” said Confroy. 

The generosity of these Terrapin Club members allowed Confroy to complete the required hours she needed to apply for medical school while balancing her busy schedule.

It wasn’t just in XFINITY Center that Terrapin Club members supported Confroy. Longtime supporters Robert and Barbara Gold and Scott and Ellen Wilson also welcomed her into their families to get to know her as a person and were there on the sidelines and after games to cheer her on. 

“There were so many people in my corner cheering for me on and off the court,” Confroy says. “Now, I graduated three years ago, and the Golds and Wilsons had such an impact they will be attending my wedding in June!”

Some of Confroy’s fondest memories took place on the road heading to and while at away games. She recalled playing at Louisville for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. “It was such a grind; we are a top team and they have a ton of fans so to be in an environment where all the odds are against us, but being able to pull out a win, was unreal.”

Another moment that Kristen will remember forever is the Final Four game down in Tampa. “That was just an incredible experience as a whole; although we got crushed by UConn, the experience itself was greater,” Confroy recalled.

Aside from the gameday memories that Confroy will hold with her forever, she also had the opportunity to form relationships with teammates that will last her a lifetime.

Malina Howard and Confroy played against each other in high school, but soon became teammates and roommates during their time at Maryland. They shared similar struggles while applying to medical school around the same time. During their senior year, they worked together to start a group of “Pre-Health” Terps, with the goal to support each other through the challenging application process.

“We held various workshops and sent out resources and reminders to student-athletes interested in a career in healthcare. I hear that group has grown since we left and it is an honor to know we left our mark on Maryland,” Confroy excitedly announced. 

Juggling the time commitment that both basketball and academics required had its obstacles, but Confroy knew it was well worth it when all her hard work and effort was recognized.

The beginning of her senior year was a very challenging time for Kristen as she was applying for medical school. A whirlwind of thoughts fled her head as she remembered thinking, ‘Am I good enough? Is my application strong enough to do all the right things?’ However, soon after, Confroy was accepted into the medical program at Wake Forest. 

A huge weight was lifted off of Confroy’s shoulders as she finally completed the application process and could enjoy the remainder of her senior year as a Maryland student-athlete. “I really just got to take all of Maryland in. I would say I fully was able to experience being a Maryland student.”

A highlight of Confroy’s senior year was when academic honors and awards started rolling in. Confroy received the Big Ten Medal of Honor - the most prestigious honor awarded by the conference, along with being nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year.

“It was such an honor; just knowing all the people that went into helping me get there makes me upset that I only got the credit, but thankful that so many people were lifting me up and willing to help me get to that place,” Confroy said.

Leaving behind the amazing memories Maryland had to offer was difficult, but she had another four years of memories to be made as an incoming medical student at Wake Forest. Having the chance to move back to North Carolina where she had lived when she was younger was surreal. 

Confroy now lives just two and a half hours away from her parent's lake house in Camden, South Carolina, in addition to being very close to her fiancé, Tim Harmody, who just recently moved to Winston-Salem. 

“My mom has always been a big part of my life; she did not miss a single one of my games at Maryland and has always been my number one fan. Having that support so close by from my family and fiancé has been extremely helpful and is an important part of staying grounded,” Confroy says.

The beginning of medical school came with a couple of pre-clinical years, a lot of lectures, and learning all you need to know about being a doctor, how to take a patient’s history, etc. After that, having direct exposure to clinicals was an opportunity of a lifetime and one she would be able to look forward to for the rest of her life.

As a fourth-year medical student, Confroy is currently preparing to apply for a residency program, where she will get the chance to specialize and decide exactly what kind of doctor she wants to be. 

“It is a pretty stressful time,” she said. “We spent the last three years learning about all the different types of illnesses and all the different systems of the body, but now it’s time to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life in medicine.”

Although she is still unsure, Confroy has great interest in orthopedic surgery or primary care sports medicine. These are both relatively engaged with athletes, so she hopes to combine her love for both medicine and sports in order to relate more to future patients and take care of them more effectively, having been through it all herself.

The proud Terp emphasizes how important it is to be appreciative of the people around you and the support that’s provided for Maryland student-athletes by Terrapin Club members, administration, and staff. 

“My biggest takeaway, having gone through it myself at Maryland, is that you are more than your tests scores, grades, and statlines, you are your individual self; be your best self by investing in others around you and getting to know the people that are in your life at Maryland so that you can continue those relationships beyond.”