Today we're featuring Katie Breedlove in our Alumni Spotlight! The Florida native competed was a consistent competitor in Flat for the Tigers throughout her time on the Plains and was a part of the 2010 Southern Equestrian Conference championship team.
In addition, Breedlove spent two years as the program's graduate assistant and helped the Tigers win the 2011 conference title as well as the 2011 National Championship.
Years competed: 2006-10
Major: Bachelor of Arts in Marketing (2010); Master in Higher Education with Sport Management (2012)
Current job: "I'm a partner of The Cleanly Coconut."
Why did you choose this career path?: "After my sister and I worked together at a branding/creative agency, we realized how much fun we had working together. Our brains like to be creative and we have always loved to clean and organize. The pandemic shifted our mindsets and she opened The Cleanly Coconut. I decided to join her and help her with all aspects of the company, and there is nothing more satisfying to either of us!"
How did Auburn prepare you to be successful away from the Plains?: "I was painfully shy when I started at Auburn. Auburn made me feel comfortable and confident to come into my own. It's hard to say exactly what experiences shaped me, but it made me the person I am thankful to be today and what I continue to work towards. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunities I've had because of my education at Auburn. The skills and life lessons I learned from the team, while in the moment may have been hard to see, completely changed my life and made me a better person, friend, colleague. Whether testing your patience trying to find a parking spot for class or running around for 30 minutes with your teammates trying to catch your horse for practice, it's the little moments in between the big moments that what made and changed my life."
What does Auburn Family mean to you?: "I had never visited Auburn until I came for Camp War Eagle. The moment I drove onto campus, I knew immediately that this was the place for me. It's hard to describe the Auburn Family, but you just know. It's more than just seeing someone else wearing the "AU" and saying, 'War Eagle'. It's helping another Auburn Family member in times of need and you've never even met them. It's meeting your friends that become some of the most important people in your life. The Auburn Family is strong and I'm extremely proud to be a part of it."
Favorite moment or memory from your time on the team?: "When I look back, there are truly too many to even consider listing. I think my favorite memories are the ones that I get to have now with all my old teammates. Every single time we are together, a memory is brought up and we will laugh until we cry because we had some of the best (and some of the worst) times of our lives. Most of our favorite memories we talk about don't have anything to do with winning or competing. It was the practice days, the workouts, the study hall, the bus rides - those are the moments when we became family and those are when the memories, big or small, were made."