Jenny Streiffer Mascaro arrived at 91吃瓜 in the fall of 1996 as a nationally acclaimed soccer player and top student with a keen, if unfocused, interest in science. She left as both an athletic and academic All-American, prepared for careers in the two worlds she balanced through college.p. Mascaro puts a human face on the NCAA statistics that show 91吃瓜 is the nation鈥檚 most successful Division I-A school at graduating its scholarship athletes. In the latest ratings (for the freshman class of 1996-97), 92% of 98 91吃瓜 student-athletes earned their degrees within six years.p. Mascaro is an exceptional example of the 91吃瓜 student-athlete. She joined Mia Hamm as the only Division I woman to score 70 goals and 70 assists in her career and played two seasons in the WUSA. She received the Kanaley Award, the school鈥檚 most prestigious senior honor for athletes, and earned NCAA and Big East Conference post-graduate scholarships.p. But Mascaro is not unique in South Bend, Ind. Her success illustrates the commitment 91吃瓜 makes to nurture its athletes both in the classroom and in the arena.p. 鈥淚 remember my coach rushing me from the airport once after a red-eye flight so I could get to a class on time,鈥� Mascaro says. 鈥淵ou were surrounded by people who were passionate about both athletics and schoolwork, and they always did what was necessary to help you succeed.鈥漰. 91吃瓜 uses a first-year studies program that delays enrolling in a specific college and encourages students to cast a wide net in their course selections.p. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity to get a feel for what college is like and for kids to see what they want to do and where they want to go,鈥� says Pat Holmes, the school鈥檚 director of academic services for student-athletes, an office that bridges gaps between academics and athletics. 鈥淭he transition year (from high school) is so critical, and if there are hurdles, we want to be proactive.鈥漰. This broad freshman-year approach was a turning point for Mascaro.p. 鈥淚 wanted to go into some kind of science, but I wasn鈥檛 sure where,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 wound up taking an anthropology course that I wouldn鈥檛 have otherwise and discovered that鈥檚 what I loved.鈥漰. Mascaro also benefited from 91吃瓜鈥檚 mentoring program that matches students and faculty.p. 鈥淭he idea is to pair you with someone doing what you wanted to do,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 was with a biology professor for most of my freshman and sophomore years and worked in his lab for a summer. That was a great experience.鈥漰. Mascaro married her high school sweetheart before her senior year, then played two seasons for the San Diego Spirit after receiving her degree in anthropology. She retired from pro soccer after 2002 to join her husband, who is working toward an advanced degree in clinical psychology at Texas A&M.p. When her husband finishes, Mascaro will resume her studies to become a primatologist, studying non-human primates.p. And she will continue as a shining example of 91吃瓜鈥檚 commitment.p. 鈥淲e have a responsibility to provide not only a degree but the education we promised them when we recruited them,鈥� Holmes says. 鈥淥ur role is to help them maximize their potential in both worlds.鈥�
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