Biographies

Hi! I’m Katie Hirsch, Founder of GamePlan Collegiate Consulting. Born and raised in Austin, TX, I grew up on Pioneer Farm, an outdoor living history museum. Being the daughter of athletes, I learned to enjoy sports at a young age. I played a lot of different sports growing up, but found a love for volleyball and knew I wanted to pursue playing it at the collegiate level.

 

Farm life and my parents taught me the value of hard work, discipline, and happiness - a foundation that not only helped me achieve my volleyball goals, but still remains a constant in my approach to life today. The various teams I played on as a child and young adult taught me how to work with others and be a good teammate- on and off the court or field.

 

After winning four state volleyball championships at St. Michael’s Academy, I went on play volleyball at Dartmouth College where I was a 2-time captain and 3-time All-Conference player. My magnificent experience at Dartmouth taught me perseverance, humility, leadership, and truly how to think. I earned a degree in Environmental Studies and was fortunate enough to study abroad in South Africa tracking elephant migration patterns through the meticulous examination of dung beetles :)

 

After graduating, I considered playing professional volleyball in Europe, but instead jumped headfirst into college coaching. I spent 3 years as an Assistant Coach at Dartmouth, where I specialized as the Recruiting Coordinator my final year.

 

In late 2011, I decided to step away from college coaching and return to Austin, my home. I spent the next 4+ years working in real estate and at a small start-up. During that time I coached club for Austin Performance and school ball for St. Andrew’s ranging in age/skill from 5th grade to High School Varsity. In early 2016, I accepted a position at a tech recruiting company, and worked my way up to becoming a Director of Sales where I was co-managing the Austin branch of the business. During this time I was able to learn about and cultivate my desire to develop authentic relationships with clients.

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After taking some time for travel and self-reflection, I decided I wanted to get back to the roots that helped formulate the person I am today and help others find joy and success in a similar path as mine. So in mid-2018, GamePlan was born! 

 

There's no doubt that Athletics has played a tremendous role in my life, and has significantly contributed to my development and accomplishments. I know that many other people can say the same thing about themselves. My intent with GamePlan is to utilize my experience and skill-set to help young student-athletes develop their talents, mindset, and approach to life in order to succeed in their ultimate athletic goals.