The Office of Student-Athlete Development says congratulations to our spring student-athletes of the semester. We give you the details straight from the OSAD office on what each of them did to earn the honor.
Nora Tuioti-Mariner came to ASU four years ago and is graduating this summer with a degree in Family and Human Development. In the Spring 2015 semester, Nora dedicated herself to her studies and worked extremely hard with her mentor. At the end of the semester, she was able to see the results of her hard work as she earned above a 3.00 semester GPA.
What motivates you to have an outstanding commitment to education, good character, family and sports?
"My motivation for a successful Spring semester came from my favorite academic coach, Natalie Thackrah and my favorite mentor Betsy Kaufman. I may have struggled most of my years at ASU but they helped me believe in myself when I couldn't. They seen me at my worst, when I struggled, when I failed, but they were there for me 100% when I needed them. So thank you!"
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Bernardo Montoya epitomizes a Sun Devil Scholar-Athlete. He does everything that is asks, asks questions when he is unsure, and gives his all in everything that he does. Sometimes it is hard to get a pulse on Bernie because he always says “things a great!” This spring when Bernie was sidelined from the Track & Field team due to injury, there was a large concern on how he would react academically. However in typical Bernie fashion he persevered and had his best semester to date posting a 3.50 GPA. Bernie is definitely looking to rebound and come back strong in the fall and we cannot wait to see his progression. He is an outstanding athlete but also an outstanding human being who you can do nothing but wish the best for.
When asked what pushed Bernie to be relentless he says, “The thing that motivates me to be relentless in everything I do has to be for my family and the community. I take a lot of pride in representing the people that helped me achieve my success. In the end I just want to make my family proud with my accomplishments and continue to represent the people who support me in my life.”
When asked what advice he would have for others he replied, “My advice would be simple “Don’t give up”. This advice has helped me, especially for this semester. True character is revealed when we are hit with adversity. When it gets tough keep going and do your best, but don’t quit. There have been many times I could have called it quits but I stuck it out and great results came around over time. That is my advice.”
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Alexis Cooper, a member of the softball team, has challenged herself in the classroom, in her sport, and in the community. She maintains a 4.00 cumulative grade point average all while carrying 16-17 credits each semester with the end goal of graduating in four years prepared to pursue a career in nursing. Alexis was a contributing pitcher in the series win against UCLA in a comeback game to conclude Pac-12 regular season play. This spring, Alexis completed 17 credits with a 4.19 semester grade point average, a 4.00 cumulative grade point average, and was named to the Dean’s List for a sixth consecutive semester.
When asked what motivates her to have such an outstanding commitment to “winning” and “competing with passion and character” in the classroom and her sport, she answered...
“I have always strived to do my best whether it is in the classroom or on the field. There is no feeling like seeing hard work pay off once you reach a goal. That feeling is what motivates me to compete with passion and character both on and off the field."
When asked what advice she would share with the Sun Devil family to inspire them to commit to upholding “winning” and “competing with passion and character in their own lives, she responded...
"The first piece of advice I would give is to establish goals for yourself. In order to accomplish great things, you must first know where you are going. The second piece of advice I have is to be persistent. You may encounter difficulties along the way but pushing through them is key to succeeding."
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Jon Rahm, a member of the men’s golf team, concluded the spring with his highest semester grade point average (3.69). Not only did he excel in the classroom, being named to the Dean’s List for his efforts, he did this while contributing to his team’s five tournament wins and winning the individual title three of those times. He earned the 2015 Ben Hogan Award before competing at the NCAA tournament with his team and for individual honors.
When asked what motivates him to have such an outstanding commitment to “winning” and to “competing with passion and character” in the classroom and in your sport, he responded...
“Well my dad taught me how to compete and win. In my head all I can think of is winning; there is no other option. I want to be a champion, and my desire and willingness to win is my strongest weapon. Since I was a kid, my parents made me realize that education is important and that champions are excellent people on and off the golf course, so to me to be a champion I need to be a champion on the golf course and off the course including school."
When asked what advice he would share with the Sun Devil family to inspire them to commit to uphoding “winning” and “competing with passion and character” in their own lives, he answered...
“Always set high goals in everything you do; the higher you want to go, the higher you will get. Always be ambitious and never, no matter how rough it looks, never give up. Give 100% effort 100% of the time. Compete the Sun Devil Way."
Honorable Mentions for the Semester:
All the way from Finland, Heikki Makikallio is a freshman on the diving team. Upon his arrival at ASU, Heikki dedicated himself to his studies. A finance major in the W.P. Carey School of Business, Heikki maintained a perfect 4.00 GPA throughout his entire freshman year.
Hunter Atha transferred to ASU in the Fall of 2013 and not only has made an impact in the diving well, but in the classroom as well. Since Hunter arrived at ASU, he has maintained a perfect 4.00 GPA in Art (Art Studies) and plans to teach art one day. Not only has Hunter performed in the classroom, but he has performed well in the pool qualifying for the 2015 NCAA Championships on platform.
Pat Park just finished his first year at ASU and competes on the Men's Swimming team. When he first arrived at ASU, Pat was nervous about handling the academic load in college. He worked with his academic coach to put a plan in place to help him succeed in the classroom. Pat stayed on track his entire freshman year and followed the plan by working hard with his mentors and tutors. By the end of the spring semester, he had above a 3.00 GPA.
Barkley Perry competes on the Men's Swimming team and throughout his time at ASU has finished the semester disappointed in his academic performance. At the beginning of the Spring 2015 semester, he decided that he was going to stay strong the entire semester and made a goal to get at least all B's. Barkley stayed on task the entire semester and earned all B's in his classes for the first time since he arrived at ASU.
Miranda Tornatore competed four years on the Women's Swimming team and graduated in the Spring of 2015 with her degree in Accountancy. A constant perfectionist, Miranda finished her degree with a perfect 4.00 GPA. She took advantage of every opportunity that came her way at ASU, including participating in the Sun Devils for Life Mentoring Program. The relationship that she build with her mentor led to a Graduate Assistantship position that she will begin this Fall when she will also begin work on her Masters in Accountancy.
After only three and a half years at ASU, Mercedes Binns graduated in the Spring of 2015 with a degree in Communication. Mercedes has grown academically during her time at ASU and committed herself to graduate early so that she can start work on her Masters in Liberal Studies. In order to graduate early, she had to take 18 hours in her final semester. In her last year of eligibility, Mercedes plans on completing her Masters.
Claudia Abad Garcia is an international transfer student from Spain and competes on the Water Polo team. When Claudia first arrived, she struggled with speaking, reading and writing in English. She struggled with the first exams in her classes. However, Claudia worked really hard to overcome her language barrier. She worked with her mentor, tutors and went to see her professors in their office hours to get extra help. Slowly but surely, her exam scores went up and by the end of the semester she had passed all of her classes.
Joanna Smith competed this spring as a graduate student in the Business Law (MA) program has been a stellar student ever since arriving at ASU. After challenging herself to complete her undergraduate degree in 3 years, she will be departing ASU with her BA and MA. She had a solid senior season for the Women’s Tennis program, in which she posted a 14-6 dual match singles record and a 10-7 record in dual doubles matches, partnering with Kassidy Jump.
Desirae Krawczyk has grown tremendously in the classroom over the past three years. She is a proud Scholar-Athlete recipient who achieved a semester GPA of 3.15 while taking on 17 credits, the most she has ever taken in one semester. Desirae was able to accomplish all this while playing on the #1 court for Sun Devil Women’s Tennis and earning an upset over Robin Anderson of UCLA who was the #1 singles player in the country at the time. She has been successful at balancing athletics and academics and her coaches have certainly witnessed the maturity and growth in her.
Kyle Long will be the first to admit that he likes to take it a little easier in the spring and devote his energy and efforts towards his athletic talents, but this semester he was challenged and he changed his habits. He put just as much energy into the classroom as he did into track and field. Kyle was inches away from a semester with straight B’s in all of his classes. His attention to detail academically this semester was outstanding and it certainly transcended to the field where he has probably had his most successful outdoor season to date and he obviously expects even more.
Joel Smith, a member of Sun Devil Wrestling, made a promise to his family, his coaches, staff, and most importantly – himself. That promise was to graduate and that is exactly what Joel did this semester. His road wasn’t always the easiest however Joel persevered. When a hand injury sidelined him for the 2nd half of his senior season on the mats, he did not let that deter him at all from keeping the promise he made to so many including himself. This May, Joel fulfilled that promise and graduated. Joel is very outgoing man who aspires to have a career in the music industry.
Ryan Burr is a record breaker for the Sun Devil Baseball team. During the 2015 season he broke the career saves record; a record which stood for over 40 years. A criminal justice major, Ryan is an excelling student-athlete. He was recently received Academic All-America and Academic All-District honors for his academic achievements. He boasts a 3.58 GPA, has been a Scholar-Baller every semester since arriving to ASU and is on track to graduate in May of 2016.
Hever Bueno is a member of the Sun Devil Baseball program and has grown remarkably as a student and young man since coming to ASU in the Fall of 2013. He posted his second highest semester GPA this past spring and with dedication and focus has raised his cumulative GPA to Scholar-Baller status. BIS major, Hever plans to use the material he learns in Spanish coupled with his Criminal Justice concentration to someday work in Law Enforcement.
Kiera Bulluck is a runner for the Women’s Track and Field team and is a double major in Biology and Psychology. She posted her highest semester GPA after the Spring 2015 term with a 4.19. She has achieved Scholar-Athlete and Dean’s List status every semester while attending ASU. She is a high achiever in the classroom, which is evident in her accomplishments.
Latroya Franklin runs sprints for Women’s Track and Field and had her best semester academically since joining the Sun Devil family this past spring. Latroya struggled when she first started at ASU, but in recent months has worked tirelessly with her mentor and Academic Coach to improve her academic situation. She recently declared her major in BIS with a focus on Family & Human Development and Educational Studies. She would like to work with children in some capacity when she graduates.