Friday, September 3, 2021

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: Alex Nadermann
Sport: Men’s Soccer
Institution: Northwest Nazarene University
Year: Senior
Major: Double Major in Engineering and Physics
Hometown: Redmond, Oregon

Why Did You Choose To Attend Northwest Nazarene?: I chose NNU for the great sense of community that I saw when I came on my visit. The combination of a small Christian school, a stellar engineering program and a competitive soccer program made my choice for my undergraduate education easy.

What Is Your Favorite College Class And Why?: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics. This class broadened my view on the laws of the universe we live in and invited me to be more curious about the limits of human knowledge.

Who Is Your Favorite Professor?: My favorite professor to date would be Dr. Duke Bulanon because of his ability to make tough subjects fun to learn.

How Many Years Have You Been Involved In SAAC?: One.

How Do You Feel Participating In SAAC Will Help You After You Graduate?: I believe that SAAC will help me with my communication skills moving forward in life.

What Have You Learned From Needing To Balance Athletics And Academics?: Time management is everything. Without it, life will be very difficult. If you set aside proper time for certain areas of life, college can be very rewarding.

What Does It Mean To You To Be A Division II Student-Athlete?: A Division II student-athlete is someone who loves their sport but also values their career and education.

Who Is Your Current Mentor?: Dr. Joshua Griffin has been my academic advisor, but I would consider the entire NNU faculty as my mentors.

What Are Your Future Goals After Graduating?: I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering and continue to strive to be the best I can be.

What Advice Would You Have For An Incoming Freshman?: Connections are everything. You can get through college and academia on your own, but by building connections and a support group you will enjoy college beyond your expectations.

What’s Your Favorite Thing About Being Part Of The GNAC?: Traveling and seeing beautiful parts of the United States.

If You Could Spend The Day With One Person, Who Would It Be?: I would spend the day with Elon Musk to hear about all of his brilliant ideas on improving our world, our civilization and the human race.

Favorite Sports Team: Portland Timbers.

Favorite Athlete: David De Gea.

Extracurricular Activities: Skiing, hiking, fishing and enjoying the outdoors.

What’s Something People Don’t Know About You?: I once scored a goal in a high school soccer match where I punted the ball from my own 18-yard box.