Friday, October 2, 2020

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: Dominic Abdel-Ahad
Sport: Men’s Soccer
Institution: Northwest Nazarene University
Year: Junior
Major: Marketing and Global Business
Hometown: Dusseldorf, Germany

Why Did You Choose To Attend Northwest Nazarene?: I chose Northwest Nazarene for the community, scholarships and soccer coaches.

What Is Your Favorite Class You Have Taken And Why?: My favorite class was Public Speaking because my professor was great and I gained a lot of experience.

Who Is Your Favorite Professor And What Did You Enjoy About Learning From Him Or Her?: Dr. Konya Weber is my favorite professor because she is my advisor and has helped me with a lot.

Years Involved In SAAC: One year.

The Reason You Chose To Get Involved In SAAC: I chose to join SAAC because I wanted to be a leader and a voice for my team and school.

How Do You Feel Participating In SAAC Will Help You In Life After You Graduate?: Participating in SAAC will help me to develop leadership skills.

What Does It Mean To You To Be A Division II Student-Athlete?: Being a Division II student-athlete means balancing school and athletics in a positive way, especially during the season.

What Is The Most Important Thing You’ve Learned About Balancing Athletics And Academics?: I learned to remain calm, get enough sleep and try not to get frustrated over every little thing.

Biggest Obstacle Overcome During Your Collegiate Career: Not getting a lot of minutes during matches.

Favorite Thing About Competing In The GNAC: The GNAC is a very competitive conference and the matches are always close.

Most Memorable Sports-Related Moment: Winning one of the biggest soccer cups in Germany in 2015.

If You Could Change One NCAA Rule, It Would Be: I would extend the soccer season to more than just three months.

Best Advice You’d Give To An Incoming Freshman: Do not stress about everything. Balance your life and make friends as soon as possible.

If You Could Spend The Day With One Person (Past Or Present), Who Would It Be (And Why)?: I would spend the day with my dad since I don’t see him at all during the school year.

Future Goals After Graduation: I want to become successful, make money and bring something new to the marketing world.

Favorite Sports Team: Pittsburgh Steelers and Fortuna Dusseldorf.

Favorite Athlete: Cristiano Ronaldo.

One Thing People Don’t Know About Me Is: My grandpa is from Palestine.