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: As a student-athlete, you were a successful track and field athlete at UAlbany, can you tell me about your experience?
A: I transferred to UAlbany my sophomore year of college. I was a thrower, shot put was my main event. I really just love the team atmosphere that UAlbany has, especially the track and field team. I can say, first hand, I was coming from a program where the men’s and women’s teams weren’t combined, it was completely separate and it was really nice to be part of a family atmosphere. In terms of competition, the America East is usually pretty competitive with the throws, and it still is to this day. It was always nice to have a challenge. I felt that the coaching staff and support staff were always looking out for us as student-athletes. For me really wanting to get exposed to working in sports, they were always open to having conversations and teaching me things that they wish they knew at my age. From an athletic standpoint, it was so much fun. I even enjoyed those early lifts, even if they were at 6:30 am, because we always got some chocolate milk after. It was a lot of fun and I definitely miss it. I did five years as a student-athlete and I feel like five years is a perfect amount of time. I don’t know if my body could’ve handled a sixth year. I know a lot of student-athletes now with COVID, they are having six, I don’t know if I’ve heard of any having like a seventh year but it was a lot of fun.
Q: You were named America-East All-Academic and All-Conference each of the years you were at UAlbany and you were a three-time America East Champion in shot put, can you tell me what that felt like?
A: I didn’t realize the academic and all-conference awards were a thing until you just said that. That was pretty awesome, I was lucky enough that Coach Abel and the whole coaching staff really prioritized academics so I always had support on that end. They made it…I wouldn’t say easy because some classes are tough, but they definitely helped me on that end. From the conference championships perspective, the America East Championship is probably…I was the most nervous for those meets going into it. Every single time we went to the championship we won it as a team, so it was kind of like keeping those victories and it was always like everyone was screaming their heads off. If you had a voice at the end of that meet, you were doing something wrong because you weren’t cheering loud enough. It was definitely memorable, I know I have done it both indoor and outdoor. The last one that I won was outdoors at UAlbany, breaking the championship record, that was probably my favorite one. It wasn’t my furthest throw ever but just being able to win it at home with a record, with my teammates and family there, it was a lot of fun.
Q: In 2018, you were named a Presidential Scholar-Athlete. In 2019, you were named the America-East Spring Scholar-Athlete. Can you tell me about these awards?
A: In 2018, I actually was lucky enough to start the bachelors-masters combined program in the communication department at UAlbany. I knew that I had that fifth year of eligibility. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it yet. So I started grad school in my senior year of undergrad and that’s when I started all those classes. It was definitely a transition. A lot more reading, a lot more writing, which to me I preferred. Test-taking was not and probably is not my strongest skill and I’ll be the first to admit that, but I always felt that grad school was a lot more enjoyable for me because I was able to choose what I wanted to focus my studies on and I can always relate the readings, for me I was big into leadership. I used a lot of my experience as a student-athlete and what I was learning in classes to figure out how to transition into the team and make everyone around you better while surrounding yourself with people that have those leadership qualities. From an academic standpoint, I feel like as I got later in my academic career, I just felt like I was in the flow of things … which typically happens, because my freshman year, I was not getting any type of academic awards. It is definitely learning what works for you. The America East Conference, I was definitely lucky to be a part of it. And again, people at the conference that I know, Amy, who was a commissioner at the time, Kate, Sam, everyone, were very supportive as well. It was nice to be recognized for all that work.
Q: You earned the Presidential Leadership Award twice, can you tell me about that and what it felt like to receive that award?
A: My sophomore year when I came to UAlbany I was talking to my coaches and they mentioned that SAAC was a thing and I was like ‘what’s SAAC?’, I never heard of it. It is the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. I was like ‘oh, that sounds nice. I am new to the school, I don’t really know anyone, why don’t I show up to a few meetings and see what that’s like.’ That definitely struck a chord for me. I felt like it was a good group to be a part of. I was really passionate about athletics, getting to learn the ins and outs of all of that. That’s kind of where I was first introduced to being in those leadership roles. I was still new to the team, still learning who everyone was, what everyone did. I kind of just worked my way up. I started as a Social Media Coordinator in SAAC, eventually became President of SAAC. So it was just like taking the time to develop, I never wanted to rush it. I was always like I want to get my own personal experiences and learn from those, but also see what people were doing around me. We had Laney, Justin Berger, those people who were above me, they were presidents before me, so I was learning from them. Definitely, I felt that education is great, everything that you can learn in the classroom is awesome, but for me the experiences that you have in life and if you’re able to apply what you learn, that is how I learn. I am a visual learner, I am a hands-on learner, I can read stuff in a textbook but if I am physically doing it that’s how I really, like, relate to it, and understand it. I feel like in those leadership roles as I got older, it kind of came almost naturally to me, and being recognized for those are great. But it was never… I was never one to do things for the awards and I think that my actions definitely spoke louder than my words but again the recognition is always nice, especially to represent the track and field team and the athletic department.
Q: You were named the Woman of the Year in 2019, can you tell me about it?
A: I remember being nominated and I was just like, the first thing I did was look at the article the America East put out, UAlbany put out and I was just like, there are some pretty incredible women I’m going up against. I believe it was a girl from Binghamton, maybe UMass Lowell, I can’t remember the third one. I was just like, ‘Woah, this is happening.’ Again just to be recognized for something like that, not even winning it, means a lot. To think, it’s just a testament to the teams that we have at UAlbany. The athletic support staff, they really gave me the platform to be able to develop and the America East saw that. A big thing for me was mental health. When I was a student-athlete, I went through a tough time when I was a freshman and transferring, I kind of realized that a lot of when you’re coming up as a freshman, you don’t know what’s going on. People can tell you you’re gonna wake up at this time, you’re going to feel this way, but everyone’s different. So, creating the student-athlete wellness program, to have older student-athletes mentor younger student-athletes, like the freshman and sophomores. Just to give them space to talk, and let them know they weren’t the only ones experiencing that, that they’re not the only ones, in general. Giving people that safe space to talk about it, but also to make friends with people on different teams, helping, going to their games, supporting them, or them coming to your games or meets. I feel like the conference really recognized the mental health aspect I really wanted to focus on moving forward. Athletics, academics, community service that is kind of like the three pillars of UAlbany and the athletic conference. I really feel like that award… it was a real honor to get it and I was never expecting anything like that when I was going into college. If you listed all these awards that you just said to me when I was going to college, I would just laugh, like ‘yeah, no, you’re joking there’s no way.’
Q: You were all over the place, an excellent student, an excellent athlete, you volunteered your extra time to the community (SAAC President, leadership, etc.) how did you do it all?
A: My coaches were really supportive of everything. For me, it was always about prioritizing what was important to me, what was enjoyable to me. I never dreaded going to practice, there were some days I dreaded going to classes but that is just being a college student, you don’t always look forward to statistics when you are a communications major. But my coaches were really supportive and for me, it was activities I enjoyed. Like going out in the community, getting to spend time with kids and letting them know that they could do anything that they put their minds to, was always enjoyable for me. I always look back at when I was their age - What would make me feel good about myself? What would make me think that I could do whatever I put my mind to? Being out in the community is something that I grew up doing. My parents really instilled that in me and all my siblings. Academically, I kind of just like got into the groove of things. I was never someone that could stay up ‘til three o’clock in the morning studying, doing work. For me at once it hit eight o’clock, I was like alright, I am calling it a night. I just knew I wasn’t gonna hold on to anything or produce any type of English work if I was working past those times. I was prioritizing sleep, nutrition, those little things. I didn’t realize it until I was probably a junior or senior, because it is harder to get out of bed in the morning on certain days when you get a little bit older. So just prioritizing those things, and again the support staff - academic advisers, coaches, or athletic trainers. I was in the athletic training room every single day, multiple times a day, just like trying to do everything I could. Strength and conditioning staff, they’re super helpful. It’s kind of like if you surround yourself with good people and you know that they’re good and you take the advice that they’re giving you because they’re giving that to you because they want you to do well. They’re not there to make you a worse person, a worse athlete, or a worse student. I kind of feel like buying into the whole process. If I’m here, I’m gonna do it; I’m gonna do it 110%. Everyone around me helped a lot. Learning from people who are older than me, but also developing things that work for me. I have a twin sister, we are complete opposites. We study differently, we wear different clothes, we like different sports, like everything. So even if someone is directly related to you, it doesn't mean you're going to do things the same way. Learning through time what worked for me. That’s kind of how I was able to balance everything and you know, I guess, accomplish all of those things that we have been talking about.
Q: Are you still involved with sports?
A: Yes. I am currently the manager of community relations at the New York Giants. So, definitely still involved with sports. Definitely still in a team atmosphere, which is awesome. I will never get that competitive edge out of me, always wanting to be the best with everyone around me. I am still involved in sports, still involved in the community, using sports to make positive change. It is definitely a dream come true.
Q: What is it like working for the Giants?
A: I started it as an intern after I graduated from UAlbany with my master’s in 2019. I remember I was in the parking lot of SEFCU when I got the call, that they were offering me the job. I was right next to Tom and Mary Casey Stadium, in front of SEFCU, right there, in my car. I started as a full-season intern. I was an intern in sports and pretty much everyone I know that works in sports started as an intern. You learn a little bit of everything, which I think is great because that’s when you learn the things that you like and maybe the things that you thought you would like but you don’t. So, in community relations, we were doing anything from sending out donations to organizations in the tri-state area, coordinating player appearance visits, any of the league initiatives or team initiatives, like Crucial Catch, Salute to Service, Play 16, things like that. The Giants are very much so focused on the community, more so when it comes to children. So, like developing educational opportunities, making sure that they have all the necessary resources like a hot meal or clothes to keep them warm; sometimes it’s just the basics. So it’s like I said, a dream come true. I grew up on Long Island. Most people on Long Island are Jets fans, which I have come to find out. Luckily, my dad is a Giants fan, my grandfather is a Giants fan, so he passed it along to the whole family. I grew up watching the Giants and when I got older, like I said I have a twin sister, I would always ask to go up to UAlbany for training camp as my birthday gift. I was going to UAlbany [for the camp] but didn’t know I was going to end up going to college there. The Giants were there and that is why I wanted to be there. It’s pretty surreal some days just pulling into the parking lot, walking into the office like I’m here. I am going to do my best. I enjoy every single day, it's a lot of fun. We have a great team, great football team, great department, we still consider each other teammates and things like that. I love the atmosphere. A lot of the things I learned in Albany, I still use today. I am going to use it for the rest of my life, I am not that old. Even though sometimes when I talk to people like Sam [Rutt], and she is now about to graduate, I am just like there is no way.
Q: How have the women around you helped you to be the athlete you were and the woman you are today?
A: There are so many people, obviously my mom and my sister, that were always supportive of me growing up. When you get to college, you don’t have your parents there with you so you kind of have to find a support system and our coaching staff was always great; our support staff was great. I think, specifically being a woman, you kind of wanna make the path for the person coming up next a little bit easier. That was always something that if someone was talking to me about their experiences, my ears perk up and, I wouldn’t whip out a notepad or anything because that would be weird, but I was just trying to do my best to listen and understand what it took for them to get to where they are today. I always knew that I wanted to work in sports, so anytime a woman in sports was talking to me, I was going to listen, I was going to ask questions. I think again just like finding those people that are supportive and the people that want you to do well are so important at all levels. When I was a student-athlete, [I was surrounded by females], our athletic trainer, Molly, my academic advisor, Sam, Kate at the America East, among others. So. going through whatever I was going through at college, because every day it was something different, they were always there to support me. Then, when I was deciding, like we just talked about, do I want to do college [sports], do I want to do professional [sports] … Kate [helped]. She did not tell me what to do at all, which is the best thing - you know sometimes people are just like ‘oh, well you should do this because it makes the most sense’ - she really just nailed down [the advice], what do you want to do? What are you gonna enjoy? What is going to be a good experience? She let me make that decision for myself, which I think was one of the most important things. At the end of the day, you’re the one that’s doing everything, it’s not the people around you. It’s you, so make sure you can make decisions for yourself. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by incredible women to make sure that I was making the best decisions possible for myself and learning from their experiences. Going through my own experiences, I am now trying to do that for the student-athletes at UAlbany and anyone that reaches out to me. Just making sure that I can tell them about my experience and listen to their questions and give them advice, but again not tell them what to do and to see if I can help them and guide them along the process.
Q: What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
A: I think it is important for women to have a platform and for their voices to be heard. For so long, women weren’t able to be in those rooms, making decisions for the greater population when women made up 50 percent of the population; they were responsible for creating the population. I think just being able to highlight the work of the pioneers that came before us. The work of the people that are currently working to make sure it’s a little bit easier for the generation after us. I think that’s so important. Just having that platform to really recognize the hard work that is being done every single day. It is not even just people in the workforce, it’s also moms. Like my mom, she stayed home with all of us to make sure that we were getting the best care possible. She was in the PTA, she did it all. I don’t know how she did it, she did everything. I have two older siblings, a twin sister, and she showed up to every bake sale, every birthday party, every game, every play, every concert, everything, and my dad was there with her. Just learning from people like that, I never heard a complaint from her. She was always there to support everyone around her. If I could be half the person that she is, that would be a real honor. Just recognizing that there are people in all walks of life, people at all levels, whether they’re CEOs or wherever they are and they’re women. They’re really trailblazing. For me, it’s like if you can see it, you can be it and, if you don’t see it, be that person yourself so other people can see you doing it. I think that’s important, just visibility of women’s history month and making sure that they’re given the platform they deserve.
For more interviews from the Women's History Month #GreatWomenGreatDanes series, click here.
