“If I Wasn’t Excelling, I Didn’t Belong.”
For Amiah Lake ’22, who grew up in foster care, stability was not a given. Belonging was not assumed. It was negotiated. Earned. Proved.
“Early on, I internalized the belief that in order to belong or have value somewhere, I had to excel, be the best. ”So in 2018, when she arrived at Grace Christian University as a student athlete, she was ready to compete in her one constant: soccer. The field did not change addresses. The rules did not shift without warning. There were lines. A scoreboard. A way to win.
“I quickly placed my identity and passion in the escape and consistency that soccer provided. ”Until she found out she had to redshirt her first season, sit on the bench, because of poor academic performance.
Survival vs. Surrender
“That loss was an immediate and powerful blow to my identity,” Amiah says. “I came to college to play soccer and without it, I once again felt as though I didn’t belong or have a purpose.”
The bench felt oddly familiar, but not in a good way. Sitting out didn’t just mess up her routine; it shook her core identity. There is a particular kind of silence that follows when the thing you built your identity on is stripped away. Resilience had always been a part of Amiah’s story. But survival resilience is different than surrendered resilience. Survival resilience may keep you going, but surrendered resilience anchors your roots. “In all honesty, I believe God took away my ability to play that first year so that I would learn who I am through Him without the security of something I was placing over my relationship with God. ”That is not the language of defeat. It is the language of recalibration.
“He forced me to listen,” Amiah says. “Truly, I am stubborn, and if anyone knows that, He does. It took Him removing obstacles and distractions for me to see the guidance I was always presented with.”
From the Bench
Former professor of human services, Sherita Jahaziel, challenged her to grow in ways that had nothing to do with scoring goals.
It was the first time someone saw beyond her athletic performance and called her forward as a whole person. That meant asking for help and receiving correction. It meant developing academically and spiritually, not just athletically. The redshirt season may have been a setback. But it also became an interruption of spiritual formation. She began to see that belonging was not something she had to earn by being the best.
“When I allowed myself intentional time with God, I grew from and healed from things I had tricked myself into believing were resolved,” Amiah says. “I learned that my past is not something I should be ashamed of or hide, but something I can use to help and guide those around me.”
From Redshirt Freshman to Student Success Coach
Today, that lesson shapes how she shows up in her current role as a Student Success Coach at Grace.
Amiah graduated in 2022 and then became the academic administrative assistant, greeting people behind the glass windows in the Jack T. Dean Academic Center. Until she realized that mostly the people gathering at those windows were student athletes looking for some help from someone who’d been there, done that. So when the Student Success Center officially opened in the fall of 2025, Amiah was a natural fit.She works closely with student athletes who are navigating the same tension she once carried: the pressure to perform on the field while maintaining academic standing in the classroom.
She understands what it feels like to be hyper-focused on sports achievements, measuring value against scoring titles, awards, and league status. Because she lived it. What once destabilized her now equips her. She helps athletes build plans. She asks hard questions. She challenges them to see beyond the sport. But she also reminds them that a redshirt season, a bad semester, or a disappointing performance does not define their worth. Identity, belonging, and strength is rooted in God, not what they produce on the field.
The freshman who once felt she did not belong without scoring now helps others see the belonging beyond it. The bench did not disqualify her. It prepared her.
Built for More Than Competition
Grace Christian University’s athletic culture emphasizes development beyond competition. The mission is not simply to win games but to form courageous men and women of godly character.
Amiah is a graduate who was shaped, corrected, mentored, and then sent back into the game to shape others. She once believed she had to be the best to belong. Now she stands in offices and hallways, reminding athletes that belonging is not the prize at the end of perfection. Identity is not earned in performance. It is anchored in Christ. That is resilience.
Student Success Center
The new Student Success Center, spearheaded by university librarian Erinn Huebner, pairs every student with a success coach regardless of academic standing.
Director Melissa Moran ’24 (center right) and coaches Amiah Lake ’22 (left), Erinn Huebner (center left) and Riley Mosterd ’23 (right) help students craft schedules and success plans to achieve academic excellence and athletic eligibility.
About the Author: Nicole Wells is an undergraduate student at Grace Christian University studying Leadership and Ministry. She is passionate about storytelling, discipleship, and community‑centered leadership, and is currently developing writing projects focused on faith, resilience, and trauma‑informed ministry.
