A few weeks ago, I sat down with Abby Ptasinski, a first year Biology major from Dunmore, Pennsylvania. Although it is only her first year, Abby has already been taking advantage of every moment she’s been here at PhilaU. She is a member of the Women’s Rowing Team, has an on-campus job, and is on The Dean’s List! On February 21st Abby, along with other student athletes who received honor roll, accepted an award for her academic achievements during halftime at a Men’s Basketball game.
Abby has been a part of the Women’s Rowing team at PhilaU since her start here in the Fall. When asked how she discovered rowing she said, “I never participated in crew before college. I first heard about it when I saw it on the Olympics!” When asked what made her interested in joining the Women’s Rowing Team at PhilaU she replied, “[her] friend mentioned there was a rowing team here and I thought it sounded like fun. I wanted to be more active and did not want to gain the Freshman 15.” Abby mentioned her favorite part of rowing are race days because “everyone gets pumped. The crew gets to spend the day together and just have a good time. My best memory from rowing was when we came in first in a race and I won a metal!” Participating in athletics while attending university is no easy task. Abby was able to learn “how to communicate better in group settings—which really helps with all of the group projects I am a part of on a daily basis at this school! Also, I’ve learned leadership skills and have become more outspoken than I used to be.” Moving to a new town and attending a new school with very unfamiliar faces is difficult for anyone, but after hours and hours of practices and race days, Abby has “formed tons of friendships” through participating in a sport in school.
As well as being heavily involved in rowing, Abby spends a lot of her free time working as a Residence Hall Representative. She explained her daily work schedule as, “whenever there is a tour I show the group my room and the hall.” When asked what her favorite part of the job was she quickly answered, “meeting new people and showing prospective students how great PhilaU is.”
With so many responsibilities, not to mention the huge amount of homework or tests she has to study for, it’s amazing how simply Abby seems to manage her time. However, if you ask her, she would tell you differently. “Managing my free time can be difficult,” Abby states, “but making a schedule and a little to-do list for every day really helps me manage my time.” Abby currently takes seven classes—which adds up to eighteen credits! When asked what advice she would you give to new students entering university, Abby had a lot to say. Her main advice was, “have fun and meet new people but don’t procrastinate! Get your work done. Don’t stress. Just have a good time!”