Saturday, July 15, 2017

Part of a regular series.

Throughout the year, GNACsports.com uses this space to profile conference student-athletes who are members of their respective institutions' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In addition to providing feedback on the student-athlete experience, conference and institutional SAAC members also offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes' lives on NCAA member institution campuses. Click here for more information on the function of SAAC at the NCAA level.

Name: Amanda Ganete
Sport: Volleyball
School: Seattle Pacific
Year: Junior
Major: Applied Human Biology
Hometown: Hillboro, Ore.

Extracurricular Activities: Volleyball, Pre-Health Club, SAAC

Why Did You Choose To Attend Seattle Pacific: I chose to attend SPU because it was the perfect balance of everything. I am pursuing pre-med so the 90-percent plus acceptance rate into medical school was a huge draw. I also wanted to play a Division II sport and wanted to be close to a big city. Seattle Pacific had it all!

What Is Your Favorite Class You Have Taken In College & Why: My favorite class thus far has been Intro to Communications because it investigated the dynamics of interpersonal relationships through the lens of communication and discussed how the most subtle cues can completely alter how people communicate. It was very interesting and applicable to all aspects of life.

Who Is Your Favorite Professor You Have Had In College & What Did You Enjoy Learning From Him Or Her: My favorite professor I've had in college has been Kara Heinrichs (assistant professor of communication). I enjoyed that she was very easy to listen to and had an extremely personal demeanor about her. She made you want to engage and I thoroughly enjoyed going to her class.

Years Involved In SAAC: 1

The Reason You Chose To Get Involved With SAAC: I have always loved being in a leadership position and I have a true passion for collaborating with groups to work on projects, help the community or help improve a group. By being in SAAC, I felt as though I could make a difference not only as being the voice for my athletic team, but also by engaging in the community.

Most Memorable SAAC Activity: I am very new to SAAC, but I am looking forward to volunteering and fundraising for Make-A-Wish.

What Is The Most Important Thing You Have Learned From Balancing The Demands Of Athletics & Academics: Discipline is EVERYTHING. Your mindset and approach toward time management and balancing the demands of being a student-athlete will determine how successful and how stressed out you will be. Sometimes balancing it all is difficult, but I just tell myself to look at the big picture and work hard now so I can reap the rewards later in life.

What Does It Mean To Be A Division II Student-Athlete: I love being a Division II student-athlete because it gives me the opportunity to not only compete hard in volleyball, but also to leave college with a degree that I still had time to focus on finishing. Division II creates a balance that makes for the ultimate college experience and I am very grateful to be a Division II athlete.

Current Mentors: My coaches, advisors and parents.

Future Goals After School: I plan on taking a gap year to travel the world and hopefully spend a few months backpacking Europe, especially Greece. I also hope to attend either graduate school for either physician assistant or medical school.

Biggest Obstacle Overcome During Collegiate Career: Learning to accept failure in your sport and learning to utilize it as a growing opportunity.

Best Advice You Would Give To An Incoming Freshman: Soak it all up. As slow as the four years seem in the moment, it flies by. You've spent the majority of your life playing a sport and being an athlete, and after four short years that chapter of your life will come to an end. Focus on the relationships with your teammates and cherish every moment. Also, don't procrastinate and sleep every chance get.

If You Could Spend The Day With Just One Person (Past Or Present), Who Would It Be & Why: I would want to spend the day with John Wooden so I could learn from his coaching philosophy and experience why he was such a remarkable individual.

Favorite Sports Teams: Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Angels.

Most Memorable Sports Moment: Any time there was a close match that went to five sets and my team fought their hearts out to win for a championship/important game. The feeling of running into the huddle and cheering to the point of tears is something that will never get old.

One Thing People Don't Know About You Is: My mom designed the Oregon license plate!