Opinion: Amy Crosbie’s Impact is Powerful

I remember sitting at the student-athlete graduation breakfast in 2019, shortly after I began my career at Utah State. I was listening to the guest speaker deliver one of the most incredible speeches I have ever heard. The way she spoke about sports, life, and the opportunities in front of each of these student-athletes as they prepared to take on the next chapter in life was so inspiring and captivating. While I wasn’t a collegiate athlete myself, as a recent graduate, I could relate to so much of what she was saying. Her speech was full of pride, ambition, and humor, and it made me so excited to tackle this next chapter in my own life. I leaned over to my coworker and asked, “Who is this?” He responded, “That’s Amy Crosbie, she played volleyball here, and we are about to announce her as our Senior Woman Administrator.” I remember being so excited and thinking, “I’m going to get the chance to meet this woman and work with her.” I had no idea she would become the most wonderful mentor, and most importantly, an incredible friend.

I have worked with Amy in the athletic department for the majority of the past five years. I work on the external side, and she was over internal affairs, but that didn’t stop her from taking me under her wing from just about day one. That’s just the kind of person that Amy is. She invests in the people around her, is a selfless leader, and approaches every situation with integrity, grace, and love. She has such a unique ability to guide people through any given situation, and I have been fortunate to benefit from her knowledge, leadership, and compassionate heart for the entirety of my professional career.

Over the past couple of months, I have watched as Amy has been dealt a challenging hand. Her dismissal from Utah State comes with so much heartbreak for me and many others. She is a powerful presence, and her absence leaves a large void. This situation has also given me the opportunity to reflect on and appreciate how much I have learned from her. Amy’s impact is immeasurable, and the lives of everyone fortunate enough to know her are better for it. In seeing how she has carried herself and handled this situation, I feel more and more grateful for her influence on my life each day and am so proud to call her my mentor and friend. I can say with absolute certainty that you will not find a more genuine, trustworthy, or higher-character individual than Amy.

-Sophia Hamilton