Guilford's Will Koppenhaver Finds His Way On and Off the Basketball Court Through Helping Others

Frustrated, injured and disenchanted, freshman Will Koppenhaver walked into the office of basketball faculty adviser Heather Hayton. A few months into his college career, Koppenhaver’s original purpose for attending Guilford College had not panned out. He wanted to play basketball. He also liked the campus and Guilford’s strong focus on service and diversity. “If students wanted to act on something that they felt strongly about, then they could,” Koppenhaver said. But being relegated to the bench for the Quakers’ basketball team and unable to find a worthwhile community, Koppenhaver felt anything but empowered.

“Give me one more semester,” Hayton asked the disgruntled 6’6’’ power forward that day in her office. Koppenhaver sat across from the English professor pondering his decision on whether to transfer. He heeded her request.

Now, over two years later, Koppenhaver has concluded his Guilford basketball career after starting all 27 of the team’s games as a senior. He is ready to don the cap and gown with his fellow Guilford seniors this May. Getting to this point, however, was a quest of self-discovery where Koppenhaver exited his comfort zone and came to grips with his dreams of helping people.

Koppenhaver was born in Durham, North Carolina but relocated multiple times until he landed in Boone, North Carolina where his father teaches English at Appalachian State University. Throughout his youth he followed in his mother’s footsteps with involvement in Habitat for Humanity. “I am all about empowerment in the instances of service to others—especially for the good of others,” Koppenhaver said. Now, his post-graduation plans are in motion: Koppenhaver wants to join AmeriCorps—even if it means being paid on the poverty line. His goals crystallized when Koppenhaver struck the balance of student and athlete with Hayton’s help.

Hayton recalls the moment when Koppenhaver first approached her. He was frustrated and aggravated in his body posture. She wanted to find him a community outside of basketball where he could find direction. “As a mom, I immediately fell in love with him,” said the diminutive Hayton. “Here was a giant who wore his heart on his sleeve.” 

The first step towards Koppenhaver’s self-discovery was enrolling in Guilford’s Honors program and getting accepted into the school’s Principled Problem Solving Program. The Center for Principled Problem Solving cultivates students who possess the knowledge and moral values to tackle complex social problems and effect positive change. Koppenhaver was a good fit for the program.

Koppenhaver took a break from basketball for his sophomore season. “I think I needed to be 

away from the team,” he said. “I had a negative attitude.” During his time away from the team, Koppenhaver expanded his horizons by participating in non-profit endeavors like building houses and even planning a hip-hop concert. The biggest step, however, happened during a study abroad trip to Sikkim, India, during in the summer of 2013.

“I wanted him to go to India because it’d be good for him,” Hayton said. “But, second of all, so I could help direct him for the next stage in his life.” Koppenhaver did not expect to be the sole male in a group of nine females, including Hayton. With car rides lasting up to five hours, India was a reckoning experience in more ways than one for someone used to male-dominated circles. For a month Koppenhaver did historical and cultural studies about Sikkim and the surrounding area. He also participated in a variety of service projects aimed at helping the local populace.

“I know it sounds cliché, but it was life-changing,” Koppenhaver said. “It was humbling to see how other people live without iPhones and TVs—all the materialistic things we Americans take for granted.” Koppenhaver realized that he did not have to help everyone, and that people can live differently than him. Hayton noted Koppenhaver was finally able to get out of his own head and see the world from a different perspective. That revelation did not change his desire to help people, but reinforced it.

Being unable to change everything reignited Koppenhaver’s desire to play basketball. This came in spite of four months recovering from a torn meniscus at the end of his freshman year. Now a junior on the team, Koppenhaver was transformed. “Will is a great team player who is willing to sacrifice his personal stats and goals for the good of the team,” said coach Tom Palombo of the now-senior.

But that statement was not always true, hence the visit to Hayton’s office. Now a regular starter, “It’s nice to be sore after games,” Koppenhaver said. After his visit to India, Koppenhaver became more patient and overcame his anger and frustration, which helped both on the court and in shaping his career.

“Heather gave me a bunch of options, and that was the big turning point in my personal and academic life,” Koppenhaver said. If it were not for individuals like Hayton and others, Koppenhaver would no longer be at Guilford. “Through her I realized all the things Guilford offers.”

When Koppenhaver walks to the commencement stage in May, he says he will be thinking about how he took advantage of everything Guilford offered. “I didn’t make any mistakes, but just had lessons to be learned,” he said. Eventually Koppenhaver wants to pursue a master’s in business and continue to find ways to help people through non-profit endeavors.