MAC Leaders Exposé: Shelby Merder, Ball State
Shelby Merder, Ball State, Junior, Women's Basketball
Birthday—July 11th
Favorite color—gold
Major—speech language pathology
GPA—3.97
How many hours a week do you spend studying? Practicing/Training? And how do you manage your time?
Hours
Studying—probably only 4 hours
Practicing/Training—around 25-30
I manage my time by prioritizing. I do what is most important first, and then I move on to the next task. I rarely have multiple large tasks going at one time, unless they are projects.
What are your future plans after graduating? What do you want to be when you grow up?
After I graduate, I plan to go to grad school for speech pathology. I have not decided if I want to specialize in a certain area while in grad school, but I have interests in neurogenic disorders and swallowing. When I grow up, I want to be an SLP in a large hospital or nursing home.
What does leadership mean to you?
Leadership means having a good balance of both styles of leadership: leading by voice and leading by example. In order to have this balance, one must be extremely selfless and loyal to the cause.
How has being a MAC Leader & a part of SAAC effected your student-athlete career?
Being a MAC Leader and a part of SAAC has helped me further develop my leadership skills. It has helped me with professionalism, maturity, and being definitive on my decisions. MAC Leaders has made me more appreciative of my university and the privileges we have at Ball State. It has also allowed me to develop some great friendships with those going through the same issues.
What is your favorite memory from your college career?
My favorite memory from my college athletic career is making a run in the conference tournament my freshman year. We did not have the highest seed going into Cleveland, but we played consecutive games (and won) to get us to the championship. Even though we fell short in the end, the camaraderie, adrenaline, and sadness will be something I remember forever.
