Volleyball may be what drove Destiny Cherry ’25 to Butler, but the support systems she’s garnered along the way have kept her here.

Since stepping on campus for her first visit, Cherry knew she had found her second home. The opportunity to play the sport she loves and pursue a career in strategic communication was intriguing, but that was not all that went into her choice.

“When I finally had to make my decision, it was really clear to me that this was a community,” Cherry says. “This was a place that people loved and where they grew. So, I wanted to experience that and wanted to be a part of that.”

Through her first two years, she began building that community. Outside of her teammates on the volleyball team, Cherry formed relationships with people like Sonya Hopkins and Molly Sullivan of Butler Athletics and professors Dr. Eileen Taylor and Dr. Teigha VanHester.

“They’ve seen me grow and learn and go through things, get over those things, and then go through new things,” Cherry says. “So, I think that they’ve been a real constant for me.”

Their constant support came at a crucial time after Cherry’s sophomore year, when she began contemplating if Butler was still the best choice for her. “I was going through so many changes…and it was becoming so unbalanced,” Cherry says. “I felt like I needed to go somewhere else, and I wasn’t really sure what to do.”

After doing some soul-searching, she realized that amidst the changes around her, one thing had never changed: her love for Butler. “I have so much love for the school, for the people I’ve met here, for my professors, and the things I’ve learned,” Cherry says. “So, I think something that’s always been constant is that Butler has become a home for me, and I didn’t see myself leaving, even through all of those changes and trials.”

Realizing Butler was where she wanted to be, Cherry made it her mission to aid those around her. She started by sharing her story with the University’s Board of Trustees, wanting them to see that though student-athlete life can take its toll mentally, Butler is equipped with the right support systems. On the volleyball team, she has embraced a mentor role and strives to be a teammate who is “malleable and easy to approach and talk to.” Finally, she also serves as President of the Butler Athletics Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

All of these roles allow Cherry to give back to the community that has taught her the importance of being there to support others.