Feb. 28, 2017
"I'm not sure if I could have written a better story than when I was here," said Chantel Tremitiere with a smile as she sat across the table. A kid from Pennsylvania got the chance to come to the south, experience the heat and play on the Auburn University Women's Basketball team.
Tremitiere said she knew from the moment she stepped on campus as a recruit that Auburn would soon be her home. She was a freshman playing on a team full of juniors and seniors with great leadership.
"The thing I always brag to the girls now is that we never lost here. We never lost a game at home."
The Tigers went on to win three SEC Championships as well as play in three National Championships during Tremitiere's time at Auburn.
"The feeling of putting on the Auburn uniform, having the logo on your chest and knowing that you're representing your school and a community - that's probably what I miss the most."
After her time on the court at Auburn, Tremitiere coached at both the University of Texas and the University of Massachusetts. However, her career did not end there. Tremitiere would then go on to play in the WNBA and then overseas.
"Playing in the WNBA afforded me so many opportunities. I got to travel to every state in America and I've been on every continent. It was an amazing experience. To be one of the first 80 women to play in the league ever - the whole experience was great."
Tremitiere's academic career at Auburn ended with a major in public relations and marketing, as well as a minor in communications. In 2005, she leveraged her degree to own her company in Atlanta: Blank Minds.
"We do graphic design, video production and we create mobile apps. I called it 'blank' because there might be something I want to do later down the line that has nothing to do with graphic design."
Three months after making her return to the Plains in 2015 to get her MBA, Tremitiere received the news she had thyroid cancer. She says it was the biggest fight of her life, and one that gave her a lot of perspective. Today, she is now four months away from getting her PhD.
"Coming back after 22 years was another challenge; Auburn changed physically. But it's still a family. Once you're family, you're a family regardless. Fighting a battle is always good with your family."