Sept. 24, 2012

STANFORD, Calif. - Monday marks the first day of classes for the 2012-13 academic year at Stanford, with thousands of undergraduates walking, biking and rushing around campus to make it on time. The freshmen of Stanford Women's Basketball have a unique situation, they've been getting their first tastes of team workouts before finally getting that first official class experience.

GoStanford.com caught up with two of the Cardinal's three freshmen for 2012-13. Kiran Lakhian (Plano, Texas/West Plano HS) and Tess Picknell (Medford, Ore./South Medford HS) took time to talk about their feelings towards the first day of class as well as how basketball workouts have progressed so far. Fellow freshman Alyson Beebe (Santa Maria, Calif./St. Joseph's HS) was at rehab and could not make the sitdown.

You've already been here for the first week of workouts, how have those gone so far?

Kiran Lakhian: They're definitely a challenge but they are for sure doable, and I feel like I'm getting a lot out of them, too.

With workouts starting last weekend, you got to move into the dorms early. How has the first week of dorm life been?

Tess Picknell: The first couple of nights it was really quiet. But then Tuesday morning I left for practice and came back around two o'clock and everybody was there. The last couple days have been crazy with so many people.

KL: It was a madhouse.

How is the first week of living on your own going?

TP: I've stayed up way too late. Kiran got thrown in the shower at midnight [Thursday] night.

TP: A girl who lives across from me had her birthday last night as well, so they carried her into the shower to celebrate.

Monday's your first official day of college, the start of the fall quarter. Are you nervous at all for the first day of classes?

KL: I don't want to sound like a nerd but I'm so excited.

TP: I'm just nervous about picking the right classes. I've met with my pre-major advisor so I'm nervous about choosing the right classes, but once I've chosen them it'll e fine.

KL: It definitely helped being here over the summer and having already taken a few classes, how the professors teach and like things done.

How has it been getting familiar with campus and knowing where everything is located?

TP: The first couple of days we learned strict routes. As the summer progressed the next couple of weeks we found those through streets and shortcuts.

KL: (laughs) I'm still getting lost!

TP: I'm pretty good with the area around the Quad, Maples, Tresidder, but the outlying parts of Stanford I'm not that knowledgeable about yet.

Kiran Lakhian joins the Cardinal from West Plano High School in Plano, Texas

KL: Me and Aly went golf-carting yesterday and thought we figured out the whole campus by now because we'd been here for two months over the summer. I think we went all the way to the end of campus because there was a major road and it was all woods so we were like obviously we don't know campus all that well yet.

How are you starting to get used to your schedules with basketball workouts right now?

TP: It's a big schedule but we usually get a couple of hours free. So far I've had basketball in the morning then NSO (New Student Orientation) stuff and dorm meetings at night. So I'll have a one-to-three hour break between the two which makes them doable. I think that it'll mellow out and I'll just get into a routine once school starts.

You're both from out-of-state, so how are your families dealing with you being away from home?

KL: Well, my family's still here, they've been here over a week, they wanted to stay for my birthday. They're leaving tomorrow, fortunately or unfortunately I don't know which one (laughs). Being gone two months during the summer I guess they got used to it, but we talk every night. There won't be any crying or anything, they're probably glad to get rid of me, less laundry!

TP: My parents, we check in every day, and I just got a care package from them. They were kind of ready for this because they'd already sent my sister off to college. It was a little different because I was the last one, so they're ready for it. They probably don't know what to do with themselves now, probably sitting there bored saying "I don't have anything to tell Tess to do because she's not here!"

In regards to basketball, what were some things that really sold you on deciding to come to Stanford?

KL: Definitely the overall balance of how Stanford students excel at everything. With the success in basketball, ,athletics and academics it's the best of both worlds.

TP: I liked how the basketball side of life understood the academic side of life. For example this morning we both had the Spanish placement test and the basketball staff worked around it. Also I liked how everyone on the academic side has been supportive about how packed our schedules are. I like how they support each other, you don't have to choose one or the other.

Finally, how much are you both looking forward to that first game as Stanford women's basketball players?

KL: Words cannot describe how excited I am!

TP: It's going between completely terrified and really excited. I sometimes can't differentiate, but it's a little bit of both.