Alumnus Sven Kleinhans Making BU Proud
Photo courtesy of the University of Wisconsin.
Sven Kleinhans came to the United States from Germany in 2016 and soon after started his higher education at Bluefield University. Now, he’s a student at the University of Florida’s Law School and on the verge of beginning a successful career in criminal law.
Kleinhans grew up in a small town in the black forest of Germany close to the French and Swiss border. He said he experienced adversity in a multitude of ways. His family now lives on what used to be a farm, and they make their own liquor every year using the fruits they still pick by hand.
“My parents went through a pretty rough divorce after my two brothers passed away,” Kleinhans said. “My mom, siblings, and I left overnight and never returned to our house. We had to start from scratch with absolutely nothing.”
Kleinhans said he completed his high school studies without textbooks, and he and his siblings slept on air mattresses for months. As the oldest of the three children and in the absence of his father, he said he had to assume the role of being the dad.
“I worked while going to school, helped with errands, drove my siblings to appointments, and just supported my mom in any way I could,” Kleinhans sadi. “When my mom met her now-husband and my stepfather, I felt it was a good time to leave Germany to travel. That’s when my adventure in the United States and Bluefield specifically began.”
Kleinhans made his way to Bluefield University where in addition to studying criminal justice he was the goalkeeper for BU men’s soccer team.
“Being a goalkeeper was a pretty unique position,” he recalls. “You are your team’s last line of defense, so the team always expected me to be fully focused. I learned how always to be focused no matter how the game went, and it helps me today to focus and try to help others in any way I can. I wanted to help my team by being the best goalkeeper I could be, and today I want to be the best friend and colleague I can be.”
During his first month playing for BU, he tore his meniscus, medial collateral ligament (MCL), anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and part of his patella, which led to two major surgeries, which he said made him consider returning home, but he stuck it out and made his way back onto the field the following season.
“I could have given up, but my roommates at the time, the trainers Erica and Esteban, and friends in Bluefield helped me get through the tough times,” Kleinhans said. He said support like that from the BU family is what helped make him who he is today.
“BU is a family-like environment. After leaving my family in Germany, I felt I moved into a new family that helped me grow,” Kleinhans said. “I learned how to stand up for myself, and feeling that people had my back at BU really made me feel I had people in my corner that I could rely on. Now I am trying to give back to the students at BU by giving them career advice and helping them prepare for grad school.”
Kleinhans earned two bachelor’s degrees at BU: a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. After Bluefield, he attended the University of Wisconsin, where he earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy analysis. Today, he is finishing up law school at the University of Florida.
Kleinhas has received multiple awards during his college years, including BU’s Most Outstanding Graduate Award for both the Exercise and Sports Science and Criminal Justice programs. He was also named to the Academic All-Conference Team for the Appalachian Athletic Conference during all the years he played at BU. In addition, he graduated summa cum laude, was a part of the Honors Program, was named to the President’s List every semester, and was a tutor for several subjects, including English, his fourth language.
While at the University of Wisconsin, Kleinhans continued his soccer career. In fact, he was named to the Big 10 All-Acadmeic Team and was listed as a Player to Watch in the Big 10 Conference. He also received All-Big 10 Academic Honors every semester, was a Wayne Duke Award winner runner-up, and was selected to be the first ever student-athlete to be the student Commencement speaker.
Off campus, Kleinhans is an active community volunteer. He serves as a Guardian Ad Litem, a crisis text line counselor, and a student mentor. He also distributes advent calendars to children every Christmas at children’s hospitals and delivers flowers and cards to the elderly on Valentine’s Day. In addition, Kleinhans serves as a volunteer providing career advice. In fact, he said if any BU students need help creating resumes, writing essays for graduate school, applying to postgraduate jobs, or general information about life after college, please reach out to him by email at Kleinhans.sven1996@gmail.com.