Catching up with Cowgirl Soccer. Former Wyoming student-athlete Mara (Cosgrove) Johnson was a two-year letterwinner and Center Back/Center Midfielder for the Cowgirls from 2009-14. While playing with the Cowgirls, she suffered several injuries and was unable to compete for a two-year period. A two-time Academic All-Mountain West selection, she graduated with a degree microbiology in 2013 and a master's in kinesiology and health in 2016. She currently works as the Philanthropy Director for the Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity. She is responsible for maintaining and developing new approaches to fundraising efforts, manages donor relations, develops strategies for donor retention, and researching approaches to major gift fundraising.
Previous to that, Johnson was a Development Director for the Cowboy Joe Club. She and her husband, Drew, currently reside in Timnath, Colo. with their yellow lab, Koby, and black lab, Hudson. Media Relations recently caught up with her to see what's been going on.
What steps did you take to get into your current career field?
My career in fundraising began at the University of Wyoming while I was still competing in soccer. I had been sidelined for two seasons due to knee injuries and my coach at the time suggested finding something to keep me busy while the team traveled. So, I began an internship with the Cowboy Joe Club during their summer golf series. They chose to keep me on during the school year and season with limited hours and I began to really enjoy fundraising and donor relations. When my soccer career ended, I was still finishing my Master's so I applied for a Graduate Assitantship with CJC. At the end of my two years, a full-time position had opened up with CJC and I decided that was the path that I wanted to take and I am so glad I did. Ultimately, I made the decision to apply for a job with Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity because my husband and I were wanting to make a move to Colorado and was looking for an opportunity to grow in fundraising and work in the non-profit sector.
How did your involvement in athletics aid in the path that you chose following graduation?
I credit so many things in my life to my athletics career and time with UW Athletics in particular. As a soccer player, I learned so much about being a team player and a leader, both in action and in words. I think these lessons in leadership have led me to the role I am in today as a Director and they have made me a better supervisor to those who report to me. During my time at UW, I did suffer multiple knee injuries that really forced me to take some direction in life and to find paths outside of athletics. I have found a way to be grateful for those years on the sideline because they humbled me, taught me more about who I was as a human outside of just being an athlete, and taught me how to lead through your own difficult times. I began to pursue opportunities where I was able to serve others; I not only interned for CJC but I also became involved in SAAC which encouraged Student-Athletes to give back to their community and I really felt a calling to helping others. Being an athlete at UW was about so much more than what we did on the field and I am grateful every day for my experiences there that led me to where I am today and to becoming the person that I am today.
What piece of advice would you give current student-athletes?
Just take it all in! The good and the bad, learn to appreciate all the moments that you will have as a student-athlete. Embrace your teammates because they become your family. Get involved wherever and whenever you can and not just in athletics but also on campus. Being involved on campus enriched my experience at UW. I know that you will feel sadness when it's all over but I hope that one day, no matter what your experience, that you look back fondly. Make sure you find a way to look back fondly.
What is your fondest memory of playing at the University of Wyoming?
My sophomore year our team made it to the Mountain West Championship game. At the time, it was the best season in Cowgirl Soccer program history. While we lost, I never felt closer to a team. It was a really special season for us as we went on an incredible run. I think people often saw Wyoming as this rag-tag team but we all knew that we were more than that and we did this incredible thing that season. I will always remember that year and those teammates that were there with me.
How did your previous coaches influence you?
My coaches over the years pushed me and encouraged me to always be my best. I appreciate that my coaches always expected more of me, inspired me to compete and to lead. During my first season when I was out with an ACL injury I remember this one conversation with my coach so vividly. Danny Sanchez was our coach at the time and I was a captain that year. Our season was about midway through, I had had my surgery about a month prior and there was a young lady on our team who was really frustrated that she wasn't getting much playing time. I remember coach pulling me to the side and saying that he knew I was struggling because I wasn't playing and that he could understand if I was frustrated with teammates who were healthy but complaining about not getting minutes in games. He told me it was my responsibility to pull those players up and to be the leader my team had voted me to be. It was the most humbling moment of my soccer career. I was 19 years old, angry that my season had been ripped from me and I had to grow up and put those feelings aside to help my teammates. So, I did, I figured it out and I became a better leader in that moment. I carry that lesson with me every day. It has helped me to be more empathetic to others that I work with and it has helped me find a way to overcome my own struggles. This is just one example because there are so many great things that my coaches taught me over the years!
