Friday, February 8, 2019

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: Austin Feist
Sport: Baseball
School: Saint Martin’s University
Year: Senior
Major: Business Administration
Hometown: Burns, Oregon

Why Did You Choose To Attend Saint Martin’s: I chose to attend Saint Martin's because of the community atmosphere on campus. It is small, so everyone knows each other and it helps bring the campus closer together. The class sizes are small, so it makes learning easier for students.

What Is Your Favorite Class You Have Taken In College And Why: My favorite class I have taken so far in college was consumer behavior. I liked this class because it introduced me to the idea of how the consumer's brain works in making decisions about a product, and how to best market to that behavior in order to execute a sale.

Who Is Your Favorite Professor You've Had In College And What Did You Enjoy About Learning From Him Or Her: My favorite professor I have had in college is Lisa Power. She is also my academic advisor. I enjoy how she challenges me to learn the concepts of marketing and how she encourages me to reach my potential as a student-athlete.

Years Involved In SAAC: Three years. 

The Reason You Chose To Get Involved In SAAC: Our team needed representatives and I wanted to be involved in making decisions to help better serve our student-athletes on campus.

Most Memorable SAAC Activity: Last year, we held our first annual Marty Awards for all the SMU student-athletes. It was a fun experience at the end of the year to bring all our athletes together to recognize the athletic and academic success throughout the year.

What Is The Most Important Thing You’ve Learned Form Balancing The Demands Of Athletics And Academics:  The most important things I've learned about balancing the demands of athletics and academics are time management skills. Being busy with both school and sports all year has really taught me that, in order to be successful, I need to manage time effectively and it doesn't give me much of an opportunity to procrastinate.

Current Mentor(s): My biggest mentor and role model in my life is my dad. He taught me how to play the game of baseball and pushed me to be the best player and person I could be. He has always been there to support me and has been a major influence in my life.  He has helped make me the person I am today.

Future Goals: After school and baseball are over with, I would like to enter the sports business world. I hope to find a job in sports marketing with either a college or professional team.

Favorite Sports Team: Boston Red Sox

Favorite Athlete: LeBron James