SPIRE Academy is pleased to announce the addition of Lindsey Ahrens to its leadership team as Director of Admission.

A former collegiate athlete, Ahrens comes to her position at SPIRE after having worked in the independent school environment for more than 15 years. She spent two years swimming at Purdue University in West Layfayette, Indiana before transferring to John Carroll University in Cleveland to finish her undergraduate degree, earning five All-American titles.

Ahrens’ career path to date has included stints as an English teacher, swimming coach, and admissions professional at Andrews-Osborne Academy. She started her position with SPIRE in September.

Ahrens says she’s excited to help build SPIRE’s reputation as a world class training facility from its earliest stages. “When I had an opportunity to connect with Co-Managing Director Rich Odell and the rest of the staff, I knew right away that I wanted to be a part of SPIRE,” she said. “I recognized instantly that SPIRE’s approach to education matches mine. The SPIRE way focuses on building young people academically, personally and professionally, while also giving them what they need to succeed in life.”

In her previous positions, Ahrens says she frequently spoke to parents who lived in different places around the world about the opportunities available to their children in the United States. Little did she know at the time that learning to develop these virtual relationships with families would help her to connect more fully with parents and possible students via video conferencing during the time of COVID-19. “Developing relationships on virtual platforms is very different than it is when we are able to connect face-to-face in person,” she says. “The restrictions imposed by COVID have been difficult and challenging, but I’m grateful that I feel prepared for them because of my previous experience.”

“I want people to know that there’s room for student athletes of widely varying ability at SPIRE,” says Ahrens. “Our coaches deliver customized technical instruction, technique development and tactical coaching to every student athlete, regardless of ability. As long as our student athletes have passion and demonstrate commitment, SPIRE will help them become physically stronger, faster, and more agile.”

Just as importantly, says Ahrens, the SPIRE team focuses on helping student athletes to become well-educated, confident, motivated, and self-disciplined human beings.

“Again, that’s the “whole person” philosophy that I really believe in,” she says. “I am really excited to help spread that message to our prospective student athletes and their families so that they can come together in this incomparable educational and athletic facility to begin to realize their peak potential individually while doing great things together.”