Friday, September 13, 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.

Name: Mariah Alexander
Sport: Women’s Soccer
School: Seattle Pacific
Year: Sophomore
Major: Accounting & Finance
Hometown: Sammamish, Washington

Why Did You Choose To Attend Seattle Pacific?: I liked the small feel of the school. I liked the small class sizes, the tight-knit soccer team and emphasis on God’s loving presence in my life.

What Is Your Favorite Class You Have Taken And Why?: Microeconomics. My favorite professor taught the course and made the subject matter engaging and interactive.

Who Is Your Favorite Professor You’ve Had In College And What Did You Enjoy About Learning From Him Or Her?: Dr. Hau Nguyen. He’s a professor of economics. I’ve had him for microeconomics and business statistics. He makes every class engaging and interesting and explains concepts simply so that the more difficult subject matter is easy to understand. He is always energetic and enthusiastic in class. You can tell he really loves teaching.

Years Involved In SAAC: One year.

The Reason You Chose To Get Involved In SAAC: The women’s soccer team needed more representatives and becoming more involved with SPU athletics was appealing.

Most Memorable SAAC Activity To Date: The end-of-the-year barbecue. I volunteered to be the grill master even though I’ve never grilled in my life.

How Do You Feel Participating In SAAC Will Help You In Life After You Graduate?: Being a part of a leadership group and making decisions for the benefit of all the SPU teams will help give me those meeting skills for when I am in the business world.

What Does It Mean To Be A Division II Student-Athlete?: It means being a student first, then an athlete. Going to college and receiving a degree is my ultimate priority and SPU athletics supports that. It also means, however, being a collegiate athlete, which involves showing up to school six weeks before the rest of the student body, having what feels like a part-time job every week and representing my school in every game that I play.

Future Goals After Graduation: I want to become a financial advisor and help individuals or families to plan for retirement.

What Is The Most Important Thing You’ve Learned About Balancing The Demands Of Athletics And Academics?: Time management and planning ahead are both key to staying on top of classes and assignments.

Best Advice You’d Give To Incoming Freshmen: Play with absolute joy on the field because you only have four more years to do so.

If You Could Spend The Day With One Person (Past Or Present), Who Would It Be (And Why)?: My grandpa. He passed away a couple of years ago. He absolutely loved sports and would love to know that I am playing collegiate soccer.

Favorite Sports Team: United States Women’s National Soccer Team.

Favorite Athlete: Julie Ertz.

One Thing People Don’t Know About You Is: I have a twin brother, Evan, and we were born on two different days.