DANVILLE, Ky. – Cheerleading, the most recent varsity sport addition at Centre College, concluded a successful season in 2021-22 that included several performances across the Colonels' football and baseball games. Inching closer and closer every day to their opening performances of competitions, we're taking the time to get to know some of the individuals that have helped build the foundation that is Centre cheer.
 
Ella Aponte, a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, is a member of the class of 2022.
 
"It's hard to pick one single moment as my favorite [memory] over my past four years cheering at Centre," explains Aponte. "It's a collection of tiny moments. Our team break downs, little celebrations we have after hitting a stunt, team dinners and all those memories in between."
 
Aponte and several other members of the cheer & stunt team have been through the transition from club to varsity sport, directed by the entrance of head coach Abby Trammel.
 
"The cheer program has been skyrocketing since coach Trammel has arrived," Aponte explained. "We all had the potential to be great, but the guidance and dedication coach Trammel has brought to the program is what we needed to unlock that potential. It has been a joy to have her lead out family!"
 
Like so many other student-athletes that attend Centre, Aponte has been involved in many groups and organizations outside the sidelines to take full advantage of the "Centre Experience." Being a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, the senior has also spent three years conducting research in the chemistry department alongside being a chemistry and MBM lab teaching assistant. Aponte also serves as an RD, a CLC Peer Mentor and Tutor, a New Horizons Scholar, a Centre Ambassador and a Senior Admissions Fellow.
 
After her graduation ceremony concludes later this spring, Aponte plans to continue her education in a masters program, obtaining a degree in education and going on to teach biology and chemistry after she concludes her schooling.