Throughout the spring semester, we are honoring our senior student-athletes with a "Senior Salute" series. Today's featured senior is Maddie Becker, a biology major from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Becker is a member of the swimming and diving team.
Q: Why did you choose to attend The College of Wooster?
A: I chose to attend The College of Wooster for the multitude of opportunities it provides to be
not only successful during your time here at campus, but after. Not to mention, the lab spaces
in Williams Hall are beautiful and took my breath away when I first visited campus!
Q: What does being a Fighting Scot student-athlete mean to you?
A: The best word to describe it would be balance! The coaching staff fully supports professional and academic endeavor and prioritizes those first over your sport. It allows you to not only work hard in your academic pathway but also in athletics!
Q: What are some of your favorite memories as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: Watching the Senior Independent Study parade for the first time. It was amazing to see all of the school spirit amongst a crowd full of happy and proud individuals who had just completed a challenging project signifying the end of their collegiate studies.
Q: What is the best part about being a student-athlete at The College of Wooster?
A: The amount of support I have received from both faculty and my coaching staff.
Q: What else were you involved with on campus besides your sport?
A: I am a resident assistant on campus, a member of Beta Beta Beta (biology student honor society), on the swimming and diving team's leadership council, a lifeguard, and I run the intramural swim club during the spring semesters.
Q: Which College of Wooster faculty or staff member has made the greatest impact on you
and why?
A: Dr. Stephanie Strand who is the best mentor I could've ever asked for on my college and post-college professional journey. In addition to this, she inspires everyone who crosses paths with her to push themselves beyond their limits, enabling them to surpass their learning expectations.
Q: What other people or resources impacted your Wooster experience in a positive way and how did these people and resources set you up to be successful at Wooster?
A: APEX (Wooster's center for Advising, Planning, and Experiential Learning) helped me tremendously through my college journey. Starting my college career during COVID and then transitioning into regular class settings my sophomore year was challenging and APEX helped me navigate through the transition.
Q: Tell us a bit about your Independent Study project.
A: My I.S. project investigates how the gut microbiome affects human metabolism and fat
storage. I am using the model organism C.elegans to distinguish these changes and be
able to apply them to human disease.
Q: Tell us a bit about something cool you did as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: I spent my junior year as a research assistant with my advisor learning valuable skills and
techniques in the field of microbiology. Outside of academics, I have been a scorer at our championship meets every year I have participated in them.
Q: Reflecting back on your time at Wooster, what advice would you give your first-year self?
A: Do not put so much stress on yourself when figuring out what you want to do for a career.
Follow your interests and you will end up in a pathway that you are meant to be a part of!
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Prospective student-athletes can click here to request more information from a coach, click here to view the virtual campus tour, and click here to learn more about admissions events, tours, and visit programs.