WSU AthleticsElla Anciaux stayed home to play basketball for the Shockers and major in exercise science. While compiling a cumulative grade-point average of 3.85, she earned American Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference honors twice and a spot on the 2024-25 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
Ella is one of more than 2,100 students eligible for spring 2025 graduation. Learn more about her time at Wichita State and what's next for the grad.
What degree will you be earning in May?
Bachelor of Science in exercise science
What is your hometown?
Wichita
What schools did you attend before coming to Wichita State?
Kapaun Mount Carmel Catholic High School
Why did you choose Wichita State University?
The family atmosphere and ability to represent my hometown in college. I wanted to be close to my family and have their support.
What has been your biggest challenge as a student, and how did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge as a student-athlete was dealing with mental health struggles and anxiety. I overcame that challenge by working with WSU's mental health staff to learn coping skills to set me up for sport performance and life.
Did you have any applied learning experience as a student? If so, what was it?
There is a lot of applied learning in my exercise science classes. This included a lot of labs, workshops, and shadowing hours.
What are your plans after graduation?
I will start chiropractic school in September at Cleveland University in Overland Park.
What advice would you give other Wichita State students?
My advice would be to prioritize your mental health and taking care of yourself. College, specifically college athletics is very challenging and it can be easy to become burned out if you're not taking care of yourself!
If you were given the opportunity to do a TED Talk, what would your topic be?
If I were to give a Ted talk, it would be on the topic of student-athlete mental health, as well as time management and how to be successful.
About Wichita State University
Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
Follow Wichita State on social media:
