Leaving the locker room before each match reminds Barbi Cervantes of the reason she left her home in Texas to play volleyball at Butler: to live her dreams as an individual. In fact, Barbi turned down Division I athletics for the personal attention she receives here. “Everyone took the time to get to know me,” Barbi recalls. “And they still are. From teachers to other students, when you walk around campus everybody knows who you are.”

While on the court she’s living her dream to play the sport she loves, off the court she’s following a new dream to pursue a career in pre-med, a goal that began with her love for art. “I could spend all day in an art museum,” she said. “I love the abstract beauty in art. To me, there is a certain beauty and balance in a sonographic image – and an artistic quality of being able to paint parents’ first picture of their baby."

Beyond the books, Barbi spends time driving around El Dorado in her Texas-sized truck. It helps her feel safe driving in the rain and snow, which she’s just now getting used to. Plus, she takes it out to play from time to time at El Dorado Lake.

Her experience at Butler and in the community is making it easier to be so far from home. Still, she does keep her mom close to her in spite of the distance. “My mom is my star,” she beams. “We’re best friends. She wants me to live life and I always keep these words from her close to me: ‘Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land on the stars.’”

Reaching for your dreams, that’s the power of Butler.