Student comes first

The life of a student-athlete is a balancing act. This is how some do it

“COACH Carter” is a 2005 sports film set in a California high school. Ken Carter, played by Samuel L. Jackson, locked the gym and canceled the games of his undefeated squad upon finding out that some of his players were skipping classes and failing in their subjects.

Coach Carter stressed that players are student-athletes. Student comes first.

Academic institutions field the best teams they can assemble to compete for, if not win, championships. Apart from the pressure of representing their schools and winning, the team’s members have to meet academic requirements to be able to keep on playing, or in some cases, keep their scholarships.

Never easy

The life of a student-athlete is never easy. Apart from having the academic load like that of any student, student-athletes must train rigorously, compete, and more often than not, survive injuries.

In return they get free college education, lodging and stipend.

If these students do not meet the requirements set by the school, they lose their privileges. Sometimes they get suspended, or are even dismissed.

Other times, they rise to the challenge and excel in their studies and chosen fields.

Here are athletes who excel in both sports and academics.

Loren Lantin graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Class of 2013, while playing volleyball for the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses.

She finished her course in four years, and on her fifth year of eligibility, she was enrolled at UST’s prestigious Faculty of Medicine and Surgery.

Not surprisingly, it came with some hardships.

“I sacrificed my social life, and I was constantly tired. It was hard considering the academic load, and all my free time went to studying and playing. I missed a lot of family gatherings because of it,” she said.

Studying at UST to be a doctor was all she wanted since she was a kid, aside from playing volleyball.

She had the chance to pursue her dreams, with her parents behind her every step of the way.

She said that apart from wanting to make her parents proud, she aspires to be like them. She wants to be an orthopedic surgeon who focuses on athletes because she wants to give back to the community that shaped her.