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or Todd Potter, it was the volleyball team that calledhim to D’Youville in the fall of 2009. The fact that theCollege had so many other fine qualities came second.However, the importance of academics was not lost on Todd.Because of the exemplary grades he had earned in high school,Todd was awarded an academic scholarship so that he couldattend D’Youville College. His scholarship decreased thefinancial burden on his family and opened the doors to a schoolthat would otherwise have been out of reach.Todd stated, “I am so grateful to those donors who makescholarships available. I would like to thank them all personallyand already have had the pleasure to meet some to do just that. Iknow that when I am older and established that I, too, will giveback financially so that I might ease another student’s financialburden, because there are enough other pressures being a scholar/athlete without worrying about whether or not you can pay yourbills or afford your books.”It was only after beginning classes here as a history and prelawstudent—he has a passion for American history, governmentand politics—that Todd realized the small classes, one-on-oneattention and high expectations were qualities desired bymany of his classmates. In fact, these characteristics werethe main reason most of them had chosen D’Youville.When asked what he would like to tell future scholar/athletes, he stated that the most important thing hewould stress is that in order to be successful both onand off the field it is necessary to prioritize with acapital ‘P!’ “You have to focus on what is importantand what needs to be taken care of first and whatcan wait. Academics always come first,” he said.For example, “If the team is going away over aweekend and I have a big test or paper due onMonday, I utilize the bus ride to my advantageor the downtime in the hotel to jump on theInternet, do some writing or study with a teammember. Sometimes giving up some of the fun the others arehaving is what has to be done.”As his final piece of advice, Todd commented, “Keep a planner/organizer! I write down every game and practice for the year inmy monthly planner. But more important, I write down everytest, quiz, paper or assignment that is due each month. Peopleare intimidated by balancing sports, academics, work, clubs andrelationships but it is critical to rank those things in the order ofimportance to you. Studies should always be at the top of thatpriority list.“