肯德拉·福廷（Kendra Fortin）几乎从会走路开始就一直在打曲棍球。 3岁时，她第一次穿上溜冰鞋是在安大略省的桑德贝，在那里，她在家里的一个池塘里爱上了这项运动，她的父亲让池塘里的冰很干净，她的溜冰鞋很锋利。

After years of fine-tuning her skills, she’s arrived at the NCAA Division I level for 十大外围足彩排行榜 — a journey that began when she was 8 years old.

“The first time I came to Bemidji, it was for my brother’s hockey tournament,” she said. “I was able to see the rink and the women’s locker room, and I knew this was exactly where I wanted to be.”

“I chose BSU because of the close-to-home feel it gave me every time I came here,” Fortin said. “Being on the lake, the cold winters, the campus size and the community were always a very comforting feeling.”

Today, Fortin is a senior defenseman on the BSU women’s hockey team and has appeared in all but three games during her career. 作为三届西部大学冰球协会学术代表队成员，Fortin说她作为一名大学运动员最大的成就是与她的队友在冰上分享的时间。

“My biggest accomplishments spark from my teammates and the respected culture we have created and continue to grow at Bemidji State,” she said. “Being surrounded by amazing people these past four years has made my experience here unforgettable, on and off the ice.”

除了在冰球队的角色，Fortin还是BSU护理专业的大四学生。 她说，她对医疗保健的热情源于她小时候在医院的经历。

“At the young age of 9, my dad was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure,” she said. “When his health started to decline, I was 12 years old and I would go to the renal clinic with him for his appointments and had a lot of exposure to patient and nurse interactions.”

“The nurses were always very supportive with both my dad and me,” she said. “This really gave me a perspective of how a small action can make a difference. When I was 13, I was able to set up my dad’s at-home dialysis treatments each night for him to take some workload off his chest. These experiences have driven me to make a difference in health care.”

Catrina Welch, assistant professor of nursing and chief nurse administrator, serves as Fortin’s academic advisor and has witnessed her growth and development as a BSU nursing student.

“She has been a driven individual from the start,” Welch said. “She is organized and prepared and communicates with all faculty about any needs she may have. It’s been a pleasure to work with her throughout the program.”

平衡一级竞技与严格的学术课程的要求并非易事。 福廷说，她成功的关键在于清晰的沟通。

“Balancing my workload between nursing school and being a Division I hockey player was a very challenging adjustment,” she said. “It took a lot of planning, clear communication with coaches and teachers and being proactive with both needs. I have matured a lot through this experience, and I am grateful to be able to grow from challenging situations.”

最近，Fortin因其在校园和Bemidji社区提高器官捐赠意识的工作而被提名为2025年曲棍球人道主义奖的决赛选手。 Fortin is the first-ever student-athlete from the Bemidji State hockey program, men or women, to reach the final voting stage for the prestigious award, presented to college hockey’s “finest citizen” for leadership in community service.

Amber Fryklund, head coach of the Bemidji State women’s hockey team, says Kendra’s passion for organ donation and love for her dad is special.

“We see the gratitude she has for the life changing organ donation her dad received in her actions on the daily basis,” Fryklund said. “Her gratitude is demonstrated in her advocacy for donation awareness and a genuine determination to help others. Kendra has organized all aspects of the Organ Donation Awareness game at Bemidji State for the past three years and engages her teammates in her advocacy efforts.”

2020年，她组织了一场名为“科里肾脏”的活动，以提高人们对器官捐赠的认识，并希望为她的父亲找到一个捐赠者。

“Around this time, I was approaching my freshman year of college,” Fortin said. “I was uneasy about leaving home without knowing how long my dad would have. 对我的家人来说幸运的是，我父亲在2021年6月25日收到了一位已故捐赠者的肾脏。 这是一个我永远不会忘记的时刻和经历。 从这次经历中，我把传播意识以帮助其他家庭作为优先事项。 意识是如此之小，却可以走得很远。 It does save lives and is something I will continue to push for.”

For the past three seasons, Fortin has organized an Organ Donation Awareness weekend at both Bemidji State Men’s and Women’s Hockey games. 每年，她都会制作信息小册子、t恤和捐赠手镯，分发给球迷、球队和工作人员。 她还与BSU体育媒体关系工作人员密切合作，以最大限度地提高当地媒体报道，同时组织社交媒体帖子，以促进器官捐赠意识。 这项赛事不仅取得了成功，而且成为了一项受人尊敬的传统，在她离开球队和BSU之后，这项传统将继续下去。

“It is an incredible honor to be named a finalist for such a prestigious award like the Hockey Humanitarian Award,” she said. “But at the end of the day choosing Bemidji State was one of the best decisions I have made.”

福廷认为，她在贝米吉找到的社区和作为海狸曲棍球项目的成员，使一年一度的活动取得了成功。

“I would not have been able to spread this much awareness without the continued support of my teammates, sponsors, media teams, administration and faculty,” she said. “This recognition is much more than just the title — it has spread awareness of organ donation nationally. With that, I am hopeful this will help save lives of those who need life-saving organs.”

福廷还把她的家人和队友视为支持她的力量。

“My mom, dad and brother are the first people I tell exciting news to and the first people I go to when things are hard,” she said. “My parents have not missed a home game series this season, and I believe they have only missed four series in my entire career. 我哥哥是我一直打冰球的主要原因之一。 He has been an incredible role model for me and is truly the best friend I could have.”

“My teammates are also amazing,” she said. “My past and present teammates have been so supportive in every aspect of my life.”

福汀将于今年5月从波士顿州立大学毕业，她已经在家乡安大略省桑德贝接受了一份分娩护士的工作。 她还将继续传播她对曲棍球的热情，作为一个全女子夏季曲棍球训练营的首席教练。

当回忆起她在十大外围足彩排行榜的时光时，她给其他想要走类似道路的人留下了鼓励的话。

“Being a student-athlete is something to take pride in as it is not easy, but continuing to push through hard and busy times makes the exciting moments that much more special,” she said.

“I am so grateful to this university for giving me this platform to continue spreading awareness for organ donation,” she said. “My professors have been amazing through the years — their flexibility and accommodation have given me the ability to thrive on the ice. 我的队友和支持人员也给了我分享我的故事的平台，并支持我在桑福德中心举办的活动。 I am beyond grateful to be a Beaver, on and off the ice.”

The 30th recipient of the Hockey Humanitarian Award will be honored in a ceremony on Friday, April 11 as part of the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four weekend in St. Louis, Mo. Additionally, the Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation will make donations to the charity most important to each of the five finalists.