Student Media Relations Interns Preston Fekkes and Alyssa Muccillo got the chance to sit down with student-athletes from the lacrosse, football, gymnastics, and hockey teams about their experience in Barrett, The Honors College.
It's well known that being a student-athlete comes with a rigorous schedule of academic and athletic responsibilities. At Arizona State University, nearly 60 student-athletes are currently adding onto their responsibilities by enrolling in Barrett, The Honors College.
Flynn Murphy, a fourth-year lacrosse player, was looking for a challenge when deciding on a university.
--Lacrosse's Flynn Murphy graduates in three years (by Nicole Greason, ASU News/May 11, 2013)
"When I wanted to do Barrett, I knew that it wasn't going to be a walk in the park," Murphy said. "But that's kind of what I wanted. I wanted to be stretched in different ways to be able to connect with different people."
For today's #TourTuesday we visit all the cool spots in the Barrett Complex and Vista Del Sol. You can study outside in the Great Court, relax by the fireplace, or you can head to the Vista pool and soak up some sun or take a yoga class under the Gold Dome.#WeAreBarrett #BHC pic.twitter.com/zRgpkfMtHs
— Barrett, The Honors College at ASU (@barretthonors) July 25, 2023
An extra challenge seemed like a common theme, as hockey's Benji Eckerle shared similar sentiment after deciding to apply for Barrett prior to his junior year.
"I was thinking I want to get the most out of my academic experience, and it helps for jobs and looks good on a resume. It was another challenge," Eckerle, currently a senior, reflects on why he made the decision. "The thesis was the biggest part. It's like a cool challenge."
One of the most daunting requirements of students in Barrett is the honors thesis, which is a research/creative project intended for "students to design, execute, and present an intellectually rigorous project in their chosen field of study," according to Barrett's website. This can be a cool opportunity to work closely with faculty and learn about a topic that you're interested in, and many athletes choose something they can relate to sports.
For Eckerle, that meant staying close to the ice, as his thesis looks into the difference in TV viewership between the NBA and NHL. He pointed out that both play in the same cities and arenas, but the NHL is far behind the NBA.
"Just an analysis of why that is and what the NHL can do better to make up ground. It's hockey related," Eckerle said.
Cassi Barbanente, a senior on the gymnastics team, is currently working on her thesis and has chosen to dive into how businesses can use TikTok to their advantage.
"I want to look at student-athletes as influencers and then student-athletes and even teams who are using certain brands and getting sponsorships and how those brands are benefiting from using specific student-athletes or using specific teams," Barbanente said about the role athletics would play in her thesis.
Murphy's thesis focused on how to maximize an athlete's talent during their transition from collegiate to professional athletics, and she made a handbook that shows how to prepare an athlete from the perspectives of finances, nutrition, public relations, and decision-making. She dug into the transition from an athlete's playing career into the professional setting.
"It's so important for athletes to have other interests and other ideas while they're still in their sport," Murphy said about what she learned during her thesis research and how she can apply it to her own life, "So making sure that when I'm done, I have a plan on how I'm gonna attack the next phase of my life, just like I came in and attacked college."
Attacking college is exactly what Murphy did. In three years, she graduated as the Danny Zollars Most Outstanding Graduating Senior in W.P. Carey and interned for both the Super Bowl Host Committee and ESPN's production team for the Fiesta Bowl.
Reserved for the Most Outstanding ??
— Sun Devil Lacrosse (@SunDevilWLax) April 5, 2023
Congratulations to Flynn Murphy for being name the Danny Zollars Most Outstanding Graduating Senior at W.P. Carey ??#ForksUp /// #O2V
"I was able to communicate with different NFL franchises, communicate with the league office, and then communicate with third parties that were looking to throw parties to celebrate the Super Bowl being in town," Murphy commented on how she was able to dip her toes in several aspects of the Super Bowl Host Committee, "And then going off of that, I also worked in the operations department, corporate social responsibility department, and then also had an opportunity to help out a little bit with corporate sponsorship."
Murphy's teammate, sophomore Claire Beucher, also highlighted how Barrett can help with a student-athletes' professional career.
"Even before actually stepping on campus, just having Barrett acceptance on my resume helped me land a summer internship," Beucher said. "People know that you can manage your time well if you play lacrosse, and that's great, but separate from that, you can manage your academic time well and know how to hold your own in an academic setting."
Managing time was a key point of the student-athlete process for freshman football players Keith Abney II and Kyson Brown.
Year 1 in the books, building something special here and I'm glad I will be apart of it?? #ForksUp?? pic.twitter.com/kIeK6s9UDR
— ŠIPP¥¥?? (@KysonBrown11) November 28, 2023
"I'm an architecture major, so the workload is a lot, but it's manageable. It took me a while to learn how to maneuver and find my balance between football and school," Brown commented on the added academic pressure, "Right now, it's not too hard, it's just a lot of time management."
…where I always pictured I'd be pic.twitter.com/rCvfQVVSTF
— ŠIPP¥¥?? (@KysonBrown11) September 19, 2023
"You want to be great in all aspects of life," Abney shared about his mindset and the discipline it takes to handle Barrett academics and athletic responsibilities. "You have to have the same mindset in everything you do. Being competitive in the classroom, really just being the best you can be on and off the field."
Great coverage by Keith Abney here pic.twitter.com/qOLBmY7zAd
— Brad Denny (@BDenny29) October 24, 2023
Alex Theodorou, a junior on the gymnastics team, shares her strategy to stay on top of the workload.
"For me, I'm a big to-do list person. So, each week I write out what needs to be done and keep checking off things and staying on top of due dates and deadlines," Theodoru highlighted the Barrett Writing Center and writing tutors as among her favorite perks that the honors college provides. "It was someone who had literally taken this class, walking you through your essay, helping you develop things."
STONE COLD STUCK ??@_alextheo scores a huge 9??.9??2??5??, a new season high and ties her career high!!
— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) March 12, 2023
??: ESPN+#GymDevils /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/3zIholZVB3
On the same topic, Murphy went straight to how the benefits of the writing center can apply past graduation.
"I think a lot of things that I've learned from one-on-one time in the writing center, I've now used in my internships and I've used in other corporate communication."
"As an engineering major, that was amazing. I spent a lot of long hours there," Beucher chimed in about the writing center's counterpart, the Barrett Math Center, which provides math tutoring.
ASU's soccer and lacrosse teams lead the school in Barrett student-athletes with 13 and nine, respectively. The gymnastics team has six, and Barbanente commented on how they're able to help each other out.
"I had asked an upperclassman in the past, how many (honors) contracts should I be doing a semester? Is this too much? Is this contract over this one? Which one do you think is better for me? Our underclassmen are not afraid to ask questions," Barbanente said. "So, they're pretty open about it. We're pretty open about it."
We love all our Barrett student-athletes!
— Barrett, The Honors College at ASU (@barretthonors) February 7, 2023
Congratulations Emily! #WeAreBarrett https://t.co/z3kTVi1Ahw
As the only member of the hockey team in Barrett, however, Eckerle doesn't feel alone in the honors college.
"You get really integrated with other student-athletes and there's a ton of them in Barrett," Eckerle said.
Described several times as having a small college feel inside of a major university, Barrett gives student-athletes the opportunity to grow relationships with not only peers, but also with professors. In her time being injured, Beucher was appreciative of professors making office hours available for her over Zoom.
"That was huge and it just shows the personal connection that the Barrett faculty members want to make with their students," Beucher said.
Barrett is not just a community; it's where we truly become family. Reflecting on our family weekend memories, the overwhelming love and unwavering support for our incredible students is real. Thank you Barrett parents for all that you do!
— Barrett, The Honors College at ASU (@barretthonors) October 5, 2023
See more here: https://t.co/9mUJDbIdEF pic.twitter.com/eHRZOi0ann
ASU Honors graduate Julian Hill made his mark as a student-athlete (by Nicole Greason, ASU News/May 12, 2023) --
From a student-athletes' perspective, Barrett is talked about as a way to fulfill that need for excellence in every aspect of life. The additional course load comes with opportunities to work closely with faculty, research real-world topics, and grow relationships with students and teammates in a tight-knit college. The experience has proven to stand out on resumes and give student-athletes the skills and knowledge to excel in their post-graduation career.