April 17, 2010
TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State University junior football student-athlete Samson Szakacsy and sophomore softball student-athlete Hillary Bach are among 14 ASU students who have been named Tillman Scholars for 2010, it was announced Saturday.
Administered by the Pat Tillman Foundation and the ASU W.P. Carey School of Business, the Tillman Scholars - Leadership Through Action program is a multi-year experience that teaches students how to use effective leadership skills in a dynamic world, address the tough challenges faced by our communities and mobilize resources in order to face these challenges.
A fundamental purpose of the LTA program is to prepare the scholars to develop and apply life long leadership values and skills in service of others. The curriculum involves experiential class work, a mentorship component, community action events and a collaborative community project formulated and managed by the scholars.
While they will not formally join the program until next Fall, both Szakacsy and Bach began their acclimation to the program by participating in Pat's Run, held earlier today in Tempe.
A redshirt junior quarterback, Szakacsy got his first playing experience in an ASU uniform last season as he participated in five games with a pair of starting assignments. He completed 32 passes for 362 yards and four touchdowns in those games.
The ace of ASU's pitching staff, Bach has played in big role in helping the Sun Devils to their current No. 6 national ranking. As a freshman in 2009, Bach won 31 games, the third-highest single-season win total in school history.
Szakacsy and Bach are continuing the tradition of Sun Devil student-athletes who have had the distinction of being named Tillman Scholars. Recent participants in the LTA program have included former Sun Devil women's basketball player Danielle Orsillo, former Sun Devil baseball player Joe Persichina and former football players Grayling Love and Chad Christensen.
Inspired by the distinguished life and legacy of Pat Tillman - professional athlete, military hero and a man of strong character and kindness - the Pat Tillman Foundation is building a community of scholars dedicated to improving their own lives, the lives of their families and their country by creating a spirit of service.
The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is one of the largest business schools in the United States with 190 faculty, and more than 1,400 graduate and 2,400 upper-division undergraduate students. The school is internationally recognized for its leadership in supply chain management and services marketing and highly regarded for its faculty's research productivity.