NSU Horizons Spring 2014

43 HORIZONS yourself, management of time, and being part of a group that keeps you focused and connected,” he said. Also important is that athletics teaches a student how to learn from failure, he said. “If they score on you, you don’t get to feel sorry for yourself. It teaches you to get up and go on.” Stephanie Sarosi , 26, who played center on NSU’s women’s basketball team for three years and is now enrolled in the College of Optometry, said she mastered time management as she juggled her course load and athletic career crammed with practices, meetings, travel, and games. “I am really good at that,” she said. “I learned to prioritize.” She also learned leadership and responsibility. “The younger girls look up to you for advice and decision making.” Time management is critical, agreed senior Samira Tanaka , 21, who plays shortstop on NSU’s women’s softball team. “No procrastination,” she said. The business administration major, who is a Brazilian of Japanese descent, is exploring playing on a Japanese corporate team after graduation. But if that doesn’t hap- pen, the teamwork skills she has learned will serve her well working in business, she said. Psychology major Stefano Fanfoni , 23, from Cremona, Italy, was playing soccer at an Italian univer- sity when he participated in a soccer trial in Milan. He was scouted there by NSU’s men’s soccer coach Giuseppe (Joe) DePalo, who is from Milan. Offered an athletic scholarship, his life changed abruptly. With the move to Florida came a rethinking of his priorities. While he loves soccer, the senior decided it won’t be his career. He has put academics in front of sports and has been accepted in NSU’s family therapy master’s degree program. “With soccer, I was always out there. That allowed me to be able to manage myself in a lot of situations. It increased my self-esteem,” he said. Derrick Wood , 21, a senior on the men’s track and field team who concentrates on high, triple, and long jumps, is giving thought to going pro. But if he decides against that, he will link his athletic experience to a career with his major in exercise and sports science, which offers him latitude on a career choice. Involved in track and field since the sixth grade, Wood said the sport has been a positive experience. It has taken him to other parts of the country, allowed him to meet many different people and relate to them. In the process, he learned more about himself. “For me,” he said, “it is more of a confidence thing, believing in yourself.” n Opposite page: Samira Tanaka, left, a business administration major Left: Derrick Wood, an exercise and sports science major Bottom: Stefano Fanfoni, left, a psychology major