Just as much as she was a serious athlete, Stokke was a serious academic. High school was over, and it was time for her to turn her attention to college. Going into college allowed her to partially disappear from the public eye.
She didn't have to look far for a college - she enrolled close to home at the University of California. Throughout her studies, she continued with pole vaulting - now representing her university at events. She was a celebrated Golden Bear.