America East will highlight one of its student-athletes each month for the length of the school year. “Shining Stars, Star Students” documents the life of some of the conference’s star athletes beyond just their athletic achievements. In the first installment, the spotlight is on UMBC’s Kristin Drabyn.

Kristin Drabyn is a busy woman. She is the starting shooting guard and a team captain for the defending America East Champion UMBC women’s basketball team. The senior is also the president of UMBC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council and the 2007 recipient of the America East Conference Sportsmanship Award. She was also invited to speak at the university’s convocation in August.

Drabyn is the Retrievers’ leading returning scorer after averaging a career-best 9.6 points per game last season, and she is one of the top three-point threats in the conference after ranking second in the league with 2.06 made per game in 2006-07. Drabyn drilled 68 three-pointers last season, the fourth-highest single-season total in UMBC history, and her 99 career triples rank sixth on the Retrievers’ all-time list.

An interdisciplinary studies major with a focus in communication and exercise physiology, Drabyn excels in the classroom, as well. Her 3.36 cumulative grade-point average is among the best on her team, and she is a member of the America East Honor Roll.

Drabyn is also very active in the community, as she mentors local elementary school students. In addition, along with three teammates and another UMBC student-athlete, Drabyn traveled to New Orleans for spring break in 2006, helping Habitat for Humanity in its rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Here, Drabyn talks about how she deals with the responsibilities of being an athlete, a leader, a volunteer, and above all, a college student.

Being a student-athlete comes with numerous responsibilities and expectations. It is all about balance, learning, spirit, hard work and character. I had to learn very early how to juggle classes, three-hour practices, lifting, study hall, volunteering and a social life while somehow maintaining my sanity. College life is all about coming out of your comfort zone and learning how to manage your time.

As the NCAA states, “There are 380,000 student-athletes, and 96 percent will be going pro in something other than sports.” That is why an athlete’s education is so important. We are student-athletes; student comes first. The latter part of that title, however, affects the first one greatly.

After an early-morning sprint workout or a three-hour practice, studying or doing school work is not very pleasing to the worn-out athlete, myself included. There have been many nights where I am fighting with myself to stay awake and study for an important exam the next day.

Students need to find a time and place where they can study and know they will be able to focus; the dorms usually are not one of them. I often find myself on the sixth floor of the library here at UMBC. That’s where I am able to concentrate and focus on my work with no distractions.

Having a place to work also reminds me that I am there to work. When balancing my time, I believe it is very important to remember that when I am studying I should be devoting myself 100 percent to school, and when I’m on the court or playing field I should be playing 100 percent for my team. I have to leave all other diversions out of the way and concentrate on the task at hand. I have learned that if I follow that concept, I will squander less time and my quality of work will improve, whether it be on the court or in the classroom.

Another thing that I have found helpful is to use a daily agenda. Writing down my daily responsibilities allows me to keep track of everything while using my time wisely. If I have a spare hour here or there, I can use that time to study or work on my game.

Quality time in class is essential as well. While in the classroom I try to take excellent notes, ask questions and get work done because if I have to be there in the first place, I might as well take advantage of the time I am given. As a result, I need less time out of the classroom for work, and studying will come much easier. Also, as intimidating as professors may be, forming a relationship with them only enhances my ability to achieve a higher grade; they work with me, especially when basketball is in season and I have to travel a lot for road trips. Fellow classmates are a wonderful resource when I’m on the road, as well; they can assist in missed lectures and assignments.

Traveling and being a collegiate athlete go hand in hand. While traveling to an away game may postpone my social life, the classroom does not wait for me. As a student-athlete, I must be able to turn in papers on time and make up missed exams, all while concentrating on the big game the upcoming weekend. By devoting time on the road to my studies while either on the bus, in the airport or in the hotel, I am able to keep up with class assignments and not fall behind when I get back to school. Also, if there is work that I can get down in advance I try to get ahead because it relieves stress and worries later on.

As determined as we are on the court, we need to have that same determination in the classroom. One semester I was challenged by a professor, but I met her test head-on. The professor told me that I should not enroll in her class because the course would be too difficult for me because of my practice and travel schedule. I needed this course to move on to the upper-level classes, but she suggested I rethink my academic plan.

So I enrolled in the class that afternoon. I made it a priority to not only take the class, but excel. I put time into my studies every day, and while I was on the road I stuck to my daily plan and made sure my assignments got done. I never missed a class unless we were on the road, and I always sat in front of her desk.

It wasn’t easy, but by the end of the semester I can honestly say it was worth it when I received an A for the course. I knew that managing my time and making my studies a top priority, can make anything possible, even proving a doubting professor wrong.

Sports, for many of us, is what brought us to college. After our studies, the majority of our time is spent in the gym, on the field or in the weight room. At practice, we have an obligation to not just survive the workout, but attack it. Being an athlete at this level is a privilege, something that we have all earned through hard work, but the work does not stop here. An imperative lesson we must learn as athletes is how to be disciplined in our sport and push ourselves to the next level. To succeed, we must be able to put in the extra hours and train through the ups and downs that athletics bring.

Though we don’t like to think about the negatives, they do happen. Athletes sometimes have problems with coaches, teammates, injuries and poor play. If we can wake up the next morning and work harder than the next person, we can succeed. As John Wooden said, “Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable of becoming.” In other words, we not only have a commitment to our teams and our university, but also to ourselves, to go hard and play our role on the team to the best of our ability.

When I arrived at UMBC, all I could think about was playing Division I basketball and making a difference. Growing up, I was always the little girl who put in the extra time and worked hard. Many would call me a “gym rat.” Coming into college, I thought all of the extra hours I had put in would definitely give me an edge over the other players. I knew it would be hard work, but I thought I would be on the court a lot early in my career. My coach had other ideas.

I rode the bench my freshman year. As disappointing as it was, I was not going to let this bump in the road deter me from my goals. I think the hardest thing in sports is getting knocked down and then being able to get up the next day and put in more work. There have been times when I have wanted to quit, but I am always reminded that that is not how I am made. I was determined to push through and survive.

So I arrived early to every practice and was the last one to leave. I may not have been the best athlete, but my teammates were sure going to feel my presence.

That summer I was in the gym or the weight room or on the track whenever I had a waking moment. I was by no means the fastest player on my team, but my goal was to come back and win every sprint workout we had. It was a long journey and it came with sweat, tears, injuries and very long days. But it sure has paid off.

I am now the starting shooting guard for the America East women’s basketball champions, and I am the top returning scorer.

To many this might be a minimal achievement, but to me it took perseverance and dedication. What I did was nothing miraculous because, like the immortal Coach Wooden said, we all have the ability to improve and become the best we are capable of becoming.

Now when I think back on what we accomplished last year in the America East Championship and the opportunity my team had to play in the NCAA Tournament, I am reminded of all those early mornings, those injuries, the sweat and the work that I put in just to get here; this is a lesson that Division I basketball has taught me.

As the NCAA states, “There are 380,000 student-athletes, and 96 percent will be going pro in something other than sports.” Choosing to play a Division I sport in the America East is exciting and challenging at the same time. There will be losses and failed exams, but I guarantee with hard work and persistence there will also be lessons learned and championships won. We are unique individuals with drive, commitment, goals, exams and practices.

We are student-athletes.