AlumKnights Magazine
May 2019
INDEFATIGABLE The Student-Athlete Experience By Erin McLachlan
being contacted by the head coach, she was taken back by the size and stature of the school. “I remember when I met with the girls on the gymnastics team,” she said. “ I clicked with them and immediately knew Rutgers was the place I wanted to be.” The Journalism and Media Studies department was not part of Shank’s initial plan. When enrolling at the school, her mind was set on majoring in marine biology, but she also had a keen interest in meteorology, dreaming of being a weather reporter in the future. After her first year she switched her major from marine biology to meteorology. However, balancing the difficult prerequisite classes for the major while also dedicating so much time and energy to gymnastics proved to be more difficult than she anticipated.
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Makenzey Shank competing on the balance beam in a meet against Big Ten opponent, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Credit: Caitlin Britcher
have been a student-athlete at Rutgers for just over three years now, and although it has been a truly positive and rewarding experience, I have become very aware of the negative stigma surrounding college athletes. Many people think student-athletes have it easy. The belief that student-athletes are privileged, receive extra leniency from professors, and that they are less intelligent than average students are not new ideas. This is a stigma that surrounds college athletes all over the country, particularly those who receive scholarships for their abilities. The student-athlete experience is undoubtedly enriching. But the dual demands of academics and athletics at such a high level can take a toll both mentally and physically. I had the opportunity to meet with former Rutgers gymnast, Makenzey Shank, and talk to her about her own experiences as a student athlete and her transition into the ‘real world’. As a journalism and media studies graduate, Shank was a standout student-athlete on the Rutgers women’s gymnastics team from 2015 to 2019. Shank grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and competed as a member of the Arizona Level 10 State Championship team for seven consecutive years, the highest level in the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympics Program. In her senior year of high school, she was recruited by Rutgers and made the trip across the country for an official visit. Without knowing anything about Rutgers prior to
She laughed as she told the story of a Calculus 2 exam she took saying, “I went into it with no confidence. I gave some answers, left some blank too. I knew I got my name right at least. Oh, and I cried in the middle of the exam. I turned it in and got an 8.5 percent.” She ultimately made the decision to drop the class, but that didn’t help as chemistry was just as challenging. “Sophomore year in the fall was probably the worst semester of my life. I was stressed out in the gym and couldn’t focus because I was so overwhelmed with Chemistry, trying to memorize formulas.” She passed the class but explained that she didn’t like how unhappy and stressed she was trying to get to a dream she wanted. After meeting with her academic advisor, she realized that majoring in jourShank shows composure and focus as she prepares for her balance beam dismount. Credit: Caitlin Britcher
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