Full Great Women Great Danes Interview Transcript
UAlbany's Great Women Great Danes is a new series that will be published during Women's History Month. The series will feature Great Danes, past and present, and celebrate the women of UAlbany.
Q: Can you talk about your experience as a student-athlete at UAlbany so far?
A: It’s been a journey. I came here without really knowing what was going on. I didn’t know anyone but the coaches and the players really helped me out. I came here and it was really scary so I had to work on my growth, like physically. I had to learn a lot of things. I definitely got better and I definitely grew as a woman and as a person. It was an interesting journey and I’m definitely glad I came here.
Q: Can you tell me more about that transition, coming from Italy to the United States?
A: It was definitely hard at first, I knew English but not that well. I didn't have another Italian person here, so I was a little bit lost. Even basketball-wise, the terms and the way we were playing here was such a different way than I used to play back home. The classes, even understanding the GPA, how that worked, the credits, all of that was kind of hard at first. Thankfully, I had a lot of people to help me out. It wasn’t too bad, but the transition was definitely a bit overwhelming at first.
Q: What about now?
A: I feel so comfortable. I feel like I have always kind of been here. I go back home and I’m like, oh, okay I’m Italian, there's stuff that I do there, then I come back here and I feel like I never left. It’s so natural. I have my people and I feel like it’s a second home, a home away from home.
Q: After coming off the bench occasionally your freshman and sophomore years, you led the conference in blocks per game last year, and you are currently leading the conference this year in that same stat. What can you attribute that success to and your massive amount of growth?
A: Definitely the coaches. They always believed in me. I came to the gym and did some extra workouts. Sometimes I felt like ‘ugh, I have an extra workout’, but that is just because the coaches believe in you and know that you have huge potential. They always try to achieve the best for you. I definitely have to thank them. Coach Rachel [Jones], too, the strength and conditioning coach. She really helped me out; she believed in me and she always pushed me. So, definitely the coaching staff, and, also, my teammates. Every practice is so competitive, so you need to get better because you're competing with them. Definitely, the environment overall helped me to get better. There is definitely room for improvement and I am excited for it.
*This interview was conducted in mid-February, before the conclusion of the regular season.
Q: How have the women around you helped you become the person and athlete you are today?
A: First of all my mom, I can always talk to her. Sometimes I get really anxious and I want to do so much and I am always kind of a perfectionist in everything I do. She always calms me down and reassures me, ‘you’re going to be fine, take it step-by-step and you’ll do great’. She is always, like, that person I can talk to, to calm me down. Coach Mullen … she always pushed me through, she believes in me. When she pushes you through it means she wants you to get better. That definitely helped me to become the player that I am today. She is always happy for your successes and she is happy but she knows you can do better than that so she’ll always push you through the fatigue and through everything. Even my teammates, they're always so supportive and that’s huge. I have such support with my peers, it is incredible. You feel like you can always do so good because you have such a huge support system.
Q: What does it mean that people may be looking up to you? Because of your success, your position, the difficulties that you have gone through and made it through, what does it mean to be a role model to you?
A: It is crazy. Sometimes I feel like I don’t realize that. I still feel like I am looking up to people, I don’t realize that people can look up to me. It’s crazy. I feel so honored. Sometimes, I don’t even think that people can look up to me and be like oh, I want to be like her. Woah. That is crazy to me. I still feel like I am building myself and I am still trying to become the person I want to become. It is incredible for me to think they are looking up to me. I feel honored and I feel crazy, I don’t think I am that great, so it’s like ‘oh wow, that’s awesome’.
Q: What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
A: It's huge. I feel like it shouldn’t be just a month thing, it should be a year thing. Women are great and we do so much, and we get little…how do you say it…“get back” (recognition) from it. We do so much and we are so tough. We should celebrate women everyday. We have so many role models in the world. We should look up, even just in your life, for example, I have Coach Mullen. She is a leader. She has a huge position. It’s crazy. We should honor these people everyday.
For more interviews from the Women's History Month #GreatWomenGreatDanes series, click here.
