Peace in the Storm

Through Highs and Lows, Micahla Funderburk, ’24, Pursued her Goals

Micahla Funderburk gave Gardner-Webb University women’s basketball fans a night to remember on Feb. 7, 2024. In a home game against Presbyterian College, she led with a season and career high 21 points going 7-7 on the night—all from beyond the arch. With a steady hand, she sank her final three-pointer with 1:32 left in the game. By making the basket, Funderburk also achieved a Big South record for the most three-point field goals attempted and scored in one game.

Funderburk’s success on the court comes from her genuine joy of playing the game. Basketball paid for her college education, making it possible for her to pursue her passion of becoming a police officer. Along the way, she experienced the once-in-a-lifetime bonus of being part of a basketball program that won Big South regular season and tournament championships and a ticket to the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2023.

It’s inconceivable that Funderburk could have missed out on all of it. Before her senior year of high school, the talented player received offers from several colleges, including Gardner-Webb. While weighing her options, she tore her ACL for the third time. Suddenly, the offers were gone.

“Someone who has torn the ACL for the third time is considered injury prone,” Funderburk related. “You don’t know if you’re going to come back to being college level or how you will be throughout the four years.”

Gardner-Webb was the only school that still offered her an opportunity to play Division I basketball. Then, she had to decide if she still wanted to play basketball knowing the risk of injury. “Basketball is something I love, and I just wanted to do it,” Funderburk stated.

“I took the opportunity here, and I’ve loved it. I don’t regret anything. I have learned so much about myself. If it wasn’t for coming here, I wouldn’t have become the person I am today.”

Micahla Funderburk, ’24

She had also met Gardner-Webb President Dr. William M. Downs, who was new to the campus at that time. “He was a really nice guy,” she reflected. “I thought, ‘Gardner-Webb is going to be my home. The coach is sticking with me.’ I took the opportunity here, and I’ve loved it. I don’t regret anything. I have learned so much about myself. If it wasn’t for coming here, I wouldn’t have become the person I am today.”

Outside of her basketball exploits, Funderburk was determined to be involved in campus life and support other teams, such as lacrosse, softball, soccer and swimming. She was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, vice president of the Black Student Association and a member of the Criminal Justice Society.

A naturally outgoing person, she never meets a stranger. She strikes up a conversation with anyone, anywhere; especially, when she’s standing in line at Chick-fil-A.

Because of the connections she made across campus, Funderburk decided to stay when her head basketball coach left before her senior year. “I still love the school, you know, Gardner-Webb was more than basketball to me,” Funderburk related. “The school felt like home. It was the environment, it was the people, and I knew I wanted to graduate from here.”

She and another teammate stayed at Gardner-Webb. Funderburk took a leadership role and had to learn the new coach’s way of doing things. Her new teammates were a diverse group, from Spain, Africa and California. Getting to know them and a new coaching staff improved her listening and problem-solving skills, a necessity in law enforcement.

After graduating with her degree in criminal justice, Funderburk entered the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Police Academy and was hired by CMPD. The Gardner-Webb faculty prepared her for the job, because many of them have experience in law enforcement.

One of her instructors was Chief Tim Ledford, who retired as Chief of Police in Mint Hill, N.C. When she met Ledford at Gardner-Webb, they discovered a connection to the event that motivated Funderburk to become a police officer. “My junior year of high school, 7:15 in the morning, I remember it exactly in my head,” Funderburk recalled. “I was watching a fight. One of my friends was fighting this other kid and the other kid pulled out a gun and killed him.” When the shots rang out, everyone felt nervous and scared. “I remember how the police officers made me and my friends feel,” Funderburk observed. “They gave us a sense of security and safeness.”

She admired how the officers displayed peace and calm after the tragedy. That’s when Funderburk knew she wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. While describing the incident to Ledford, he remembered being at her high school on that day. They had been through the same tragic situation. Funderburk was assured that his expertise would be invaluable to her education.

“I want to bring that (peace) to people,” Funderburk asserted. “I’ve always looked at myself as the type that brings joy to people’s lives. As a police officer, I’m going to get called out to situations that are going to be the person’s worst day. I want to be the type of person to change that feeling for them, to make it a better situation than what it is.”