April 2009 Student-Athletes of the Month

Student-Athletes of the Month

*The Student-Athletes of the Month are selected on the basis of the all-around student-athlete...effort and excellence in academics, leadership, integrity, dedication to team, campus involvement, community service, and the ability to serve as role models for current and future VU students and student-athletes.

April 2009

Derrius Dowell - Football
Senior, Major: Human and Organizational Development

Why did you choose to attend Vanderbilt?

I chose Vanderbilt because of its academic reputation and it was a school in the SEC. I got the best of both worlds.

What are your career goals?
I plan to get my masters degree and become an entrepreneur opening various types of businesses.

What does it take to be academically successful at Vanderbilt?
It takes hard work and dedication to be academically successful at Vanderbilt.

How do you manage your demanding schedule?
Personally I try to get my work done in my spare time, but I like to do mostly everything at the last minute. I do better when the pressure is on.

What is your ritual before taking a test?
Before taking a test I like to listen to some music, preferably Rocko or J-Money, and drink a Mountain Dew to get some energy.

What is your favorite quote?
"There's two types of people in this world: those that make it happen and those that watch it happen!" -Anonymous

Why Derrius is a Student-Athlete of the Month . . .
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Amanda Scott - Women's Cross Country

Senior, Majors: Chemical Engineering, Chemistry
Minors: Material Science, Mathematics

Why did you choose to attend Vanderbilt?

When I visited Vanderbilt the summer before my senior year in high school, I fell in love with the school and with Nashville mostly because everyone was so friendly and I saw boundless opportunity here. I chose to come for the strong engineering program combined with a broad liberal arts background and diverse student body. I also had the opportunity to run D-I in the SEC which has been an amazing experience.

What are your career goals?
I decided to study chemical engineering so that I can work to develop alternative fuels and renewable energy sources. Since then I've worked on several research projects and I plan to continue my education beyond Vanderbilt so that I can someday help solve the energy crisis by implementing new technologies using the sun's abundant energy and bioenergy.

What does it take to be academically successful at Vanderbilt?
It takes self-management and maintaining a balance. There's always something you can be working on but you have to prioritize important things first. You have to use the resources available to you whether it be your classmates, professors, tutors, etc.

How do you manage your demanding schedule?
I like to make to-do lists and I try to "plan weekly and implement daily." Plus I have found that I'm more productive when I'm busy than when I have nothing going on.

What is your ritual before taking a test?
A good night's sleep, go to office hours to ask questions, and a big breakfast with coffee!

What is your favorite quote?
"We cannot discover new oceans unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore." -Eleanor Roosevelt

Why Amanda is a Student-Athlete of the Month . . .
It is truly my honor to nominate Amanda Scott for the Student-Athlete of the Month. I have worked with her for four years and have found her to be a very hard-working young lady. Amanda holds herself to a level of excellence that is unmatched and through her hard work, she was awarded the Gates Cambridge Scholarship which will allow her to begin graduate study at the University of Cambridge next fall. It has been a pleasure working with Amanda and she really is worthy of this honor. -Max Martin

Past Recipients...

January 2005