Ava Lincender ’28 Reflects on Leadership on the World Stage
By Kara McDuffee
Interim Studies at Brewster Academy is a week designed for students to dive deeper into what drives them, on campus and far beyond it. For Ava Lincender ’28, going deeper meant going all the way to Northern Europe, to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 IIHF Women's World Championship. It's the kind of pursuit that makes Brewster one of the most distinctive boarding schools in New Hampshire: a place where education follows passion wherever it leads.
When Brewster's Interim Studies week began on March 2, most students were settling into on-campus projects and off-campus adventures. Ava Lincender was lacing up her skates in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia.
A member of Brewster's ice hockey program, Ava had been selected to represent the Bosnia and Herzegovina National Women's Ice Hockey Team at the 2026 IIHF Women's World Championship (Division III, Group B). The championship’s dates placed her squarely in the middle of Brewster's Interim Studies week. Rather than forcing a choice between two major commitments, Ava worked with the school to transform the experience into an independent study, checking in regularly throughout the week with faculty advisor Michelle Rafalowski, who served as her mentor along the way.
The arrangement gave Ava the space to pursue something far bigger than a classroom assignment. Competing against five other nations, Bosnia and Herzegovina earned a silver medal, and Ava finished as the second leading scorer among all players across the entire tournament.
"Representing Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 World Championship in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia, was more than just playing a tournament," Ava reflected. "While the name on the back of the jersey is mine, the pride on the front belongs to my country, and that comes with a great responsibility."
That sense of responsibility was on full display in the silver medal game, where Bosnia found itself down 2-0. Rather than letting the deficit define the outcome, Ava stepped into a leadership role that extended well beyond her spot on the scoresheet.
"I have learned that leadership lives in every voice that refuses to quit when you're down 2-0," she said. "In our silver medal game, the tension was high, but I stepped up and told the girls: 'To win this game, we first have to believe that we can.'"
She then backed up her words, scoring twice, including the game-winner with two minutes left, to complete the comeback.
"Getting us on the scoreboard and scoring the game-winner with two minutes left was a dream moment," Ava said, "but seeing our collective belief turn into a comeback victory was the real highlight for me."
Throughout the week, her check-ins with Mrs. Rafalowski gave the independent study added structure and meaning, helping Ava process and articulate an experience that was as much about growth as it was about competition. Her family felt grateful for that added layer of reflection, describing the whole experience as "truly meaningful" and crediting the school's support for making it possible. For Ava, the two commitments weren't separate at all; the ice and the reflection were always part of the same story.
And that story was never just about a medal or a stat line. It was about what she and her teammates are building, for the sport and for the girls who will come after them.
"We're clearing the ice for this beautiful game so the next generation of girls in Bosnia and Herzegovina knows that no dream is too big to chase," she said. "The work continues."
