March 10, 2010

Marissa Lucy graduated from Villanova in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in general business. Lucy now works as at Associate Producer for the Discovery Communications Networks where she manages and facilitates the entire production process for networks such as Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.

As a Wildcat, Lucy played defense during her four years and also served as a captain her senior year. She was a member of the team that earned the Wildcats their first winning season in many years. Lucy will remember that winning season for a long time to come, "It was a really exciting season with nail-biting tie breakers and overtimes," said Lucy. "We were finally able to get that `winning feeling' back."

Another highlight of Lucy's lacrosse career was playing with her younger sister Taylor for two years.

Being a student-athlete at Villanova taught Lucy how to balance all of the different aspects of her life at the time. She was always busy with schoolwork and a rigorous practice and game schedule all while trying to have a normal social life mixed with time to relax. Upon graduating, Lucy was met with the challenge of having so much time on her hands without a specific plan for her future since she did not have a job lined up right away.

"It's like all of a sudden, everything that used to distinguish you, no longer does," she explained. "I was no longer a student and no longer a lacrosse player, which was something that defined me since I picked up my first lacrosse stick in sixth grade." At this point Lucy did what any hard-working and tough person would do.

"After taking step back and looking at what I had learned at Villanova as a student-athlete," Lucy stated, " I understood that I had to put my nose to the grindstone to get back on track to starting a new life outside college and outside of lacrosse."

Lucy feels the best thing about being a student-athlete at such a high level is the student-athlete community, "the whole group of Villanova athletes really stick together and I think that's a great feeling. I love knowing that I am friends with some of the best athletes in the nation."

Lucy did not just take away mental and emotional lessons from being a student-athlete, but also the athletic drive. She still exercises and runs about 3 miles a day to simply stay fit and healthy. Lucy uses it as a break from work and to relieve stress because it is the only time she gets to herself.

When asked what advice Lucy has for anyone finishing college she says to make sure you take small steps to get where you want to be.

"It doesn't have to be a dream job right away...but by slowly chipping away at the stone, you suddenly realize you have what you've been working towards," she said.

Lucy is one that knows from experience that picking a goal and sticking with it will produce positive results sooner or later. She also feels it is very important to not be afraid to take chances and to follow gut feelings whenever possible. And to other student-athletes like herself she believes that all of the fundamentals of being a student-athlete are ingrained in a person and impossible to ignore.

"Work hard, because it really does pay off! When you finally are at a spot when you feel good about yourself, remember others," Lucy advises.

By Andrea DeSabato