July 2006 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 a role model for current and future VU students and student-athletes.

July 2006

Michelle Peloquin - Bowling

I chose to attend Vanderbilt because for me, it offered the best of both worlds. It provided me with the opportunity to receive a wonderful education while being able to participate in competitive and invigorating athletics.

Right now I am a pre-medicine major, but I’m not exactly sure what I want my career to be yet. The medical field has many avenues that I could pursue, from being a physician to doing research, and I like that I have so many options. Whatever I end up doing, I know I want it to be something that I am passionate about.

Vanderbilt is very demanding academically, but I think the thing that helped me the most this year was being disciplined. I developed a routine and I stuck to it. Another thing that I realized early on was the fact that my studies had to come before anything else.

As I mentioned before, it is very important for me to have an agenda and a schedule. It helped me a lot to know exactly what I had to do and when I had to do it. But one thing I discovered was that it was important to take some time for relaxation. Whether it was going out to dinner in the city or having a movie night, I found that a little time to decompress was always a good thing.

Before taking a test I make sure that I have gotten a good night’s sleep. I am not the type of person who can stay up all night and then go take an exam – I have found that I do not remember anything if I do that. But one thing that I do tell myself right before beginning any test is to do the best I can, and that is all I can do. It helps me to relax and focus, so I do not think about how I am going to do on the test before I have even taken it.

My favorite quote comes from a song by Third Eye Blind – “Time it passes and it tells us what we’re left with. We become the things we do.”

Why Michelle is a Student-Athlete of the Month . . .

I nominated Michelle because of her tremendous accomplishments during her freshmen year. Indeed, she exemplifies the definition of a successful student-athlete, both in the classroom and in competition. Her grade point average ranks in the top 10 of all freshman student-athletes at Vanderbilt University, earning her SEC academic honors, all while majoring in the pre-medicine curriculum of Chemistry and Biology. In her sport of Bowling, she was recognized for several awards which include being named as a First Team All-American as well as the Region and National Rookie of the Year. Bowling Head Coach John Williamson put it best when he stated:”Michelle has set a benchmark by which future outstanding Vanderbilt freshmen will always be compared.” --Neal Clark

Marlon White - Football

Because it is one of the best schools in the country, and I could play SEC football.

Why Marlon is a Student-Athlete of the Month . . .

Marlon has become an excellent student over the course of his three years at Vanderbilt. He has made huge strides in learning what it takes to succeed at Vanderbilt, and is on target to achieve SEC Academic Honor Roll at the end of this fall. Given his natural talents, drive, determination, and work ethic, I am confident that Marlon will continue to excel in his studies, as well as on the field, and in his future endeavors. He is becoming a true leader. --Elizabeth Wright

Past Recipients...

January 2005

Academic Support for Student-Athletes | Vanderbilt University
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