Feb. 19, 2008
By: Susan Bedsworth, Penn State Athletic Communication Student Assistant
"Why did you choose Penn State?"
"I couldn't find a reason not to love it."
A simple question with a simple answer. But senior women's tennis player Jenny Shular did not stop there.
"Tradition is so huge here and you do not find this kind of pride at a lot of places anymore."
Shular went on to say that her last three and a half years here at Penn State has been her time to grow. It has been a time to learn about her character and realize what she is passionate about. She describes her time on the court as a time to find herself, to learn to stay calm under pressure and that even after a loss, life will always go on.
Shular began playing tennis when she was 11 years old but admitted that she really was not any good until she was about 15 or 16. By then she knew that she wanted to pursue the sport in college.
"I grew up in a stroller on the court watching both of my parents play," said Shular. "I knew I wasn't going to play Wimbledon but I'd put in so much time and effort that I decided I really wanted to play Division I college tennis."
Clearly it was not the decision to pursue tennis that plagued Shular, but the real question was where to play.
After being recruited by a number of other schools, Shular chose Penn State and dove headfirst into the life of a student-athlete.
"Freshmen and sophomore years, it was all about athletics," remembers Shular. "During the past two years I've realized that there's a lot more to this university and that everyone has a niche here."
After being involved in student government in high school, Shular chose to get involved with SAAB, the Student Athlete Advisory Board, where she served as Vice President her junior year and is now the President.
"Student government, especially in college, can take up a lot of time so SAAB is a good fit for a student-athlete."
Shular and the SAAB's executive board set some objectives for the past two years to get SAAB more involved with THON and encourage more students to attend Olympic sporting events.
"Code Blue was something I thought up that might be a way to raise student-body attendance," said Shular. "We wanted each team to feel similar to the way the football team feels when they come out of the tunnel, to feel that exciting home court advantage."
THON was another priority for Shular and SAAB. Last year, Shular created a fundraiser for THON that incorporated bowling and Halloween.
"I got the idea from a girl I met at the NCAA leadership conference that I attended two summers ago. We contacted several sports teams, had them put together teams of eight and raised money to benefit THON."
Everyone came dressed in Halloween costumes and went bowling according to Shular. The event was very successful raising about $500 for THON in its first year.
One might wonder how Shular balances being involved in university life while juggling classes, homework, practice and tennis matches that are almost a weekly occurrence in the spring. Shular, however, makes it look easy.
This spring is Shular's last season with the women's tennis team and she plans to enjoy every minute.
"I am looking forward to several matches including Marshall, Wisconsin and Ohio State," said Shular who admitted that she thrives off of being the underdog and playing in really close, competitive matches.
Shular also wants to enjoy this last bit of time with her teammates and their new coach. She sees herself serving as a mentor to her younger teammates and hopes to show them that there are other aspects to this school that they should not miss out on.
According to first-year head coach Dawna Prevette, Shular will have no problem meeting the goals she has set for these last few months.
"Jenny is a very mature and well-rounded individual," said Prevette. "She understands that life cannot be one-sided and that she needs balance in her life."
Come May, when tennis finally finishes up for the year, Shular hopes to jet off to some place exciting for a month before starting her job with Merill Lynch in NYC.
"I'd really like to see Australia and Asia," said Shular.
No matter where Shular goes, whether she's traveling the world or helping clients make investment decisions, one can be assured that she will never, ever forget that she is and will always be a true Nittany Lion.