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Dominique Washington is a 2016 graduate of °Ä¿Í×ãÇò, where he also played basketball for the Hawks. He is the new director of the MAC and intramural coordinator.

What’s it been like to be back on campus? Talk to us about your experience as a student here.

It's been a surreal feeling, like a dream come true. There’s nothing greater than being in an environment that always made me feel at home. I learned quite a bit being here, not only from an academic perspective, but about myself. Being a Kansas City native and going to school in my hometown came with a lot of challenges, but my experience here as a student helped me mitigate a lot of that. I met some of my closest lifetime friends here. Professors and staff members that turned into my friends after my time here as a student was done. I'm just extremely grateful that I get the chance to see those familiar faces again, this time as my colleagues and friends.

Tell us about your new role. What are you most excited about as the MAC director/intramurals coordinator?

For starters, my new role comes as a blessing simply because it was something that I've been working toward for nine years. I've gained some experience working in the parks and recreation field in a number of different cities, sites and counties. I learned that I flourish in this position during my graduate assistant days at Avila University when I took on a lead role of running intramurals, tournaments and leagues. What excites me most about being the MAC director and intramurals coordinator is the opportunity to share my ideas with the student body, staff and faculty, and being able to team up with different departments and implementing programs that will further grow the school and student body experience. Knowing that health and wellness is important in my life, I’m able to encourage and motivate everyone on campus who may be struggling with a starting point.

What was it like to be a student-athlete here? Did you find that being active or part of a team helped you in the classroom? If so, how?

Being a student-athlete here was a great experience. It definitely came with a ton of challenges. I learned more about time management being at the NCAA D2 level. You have to find your own time to study and get some extra work in on the court. My days were usually full of activities. I learned the importance of taking care of my mental and physical health due to constant drainage at times. But there are also massive benefits to that lifestyle. I feel being active on a team made it mandatory for me to be great in the classroom. Eligibility is nothing to play with and the academic standard of °Ä¿Í×ãÇò made me want to be on my A-game in the classroom. Out of all of my success on the basketball court, no feeling was greater than walking that stage and receiving my degree from Fr. Curran. So, it's safe to say that the lifestyle of being a student-athlete really paid off.  

Why do you think it’s important for students to take advantage of resources like the MAC or intramural athletics?

Activity. Both utilizing the MAC or taking part in intramurals give you a life away from the daily demands of being a student. Intramurals gives you the opportunity to network with fellow students and focus on team management through sports. Its an opportunity for students to come together and motivate each other. Sometimes you want to forget about that hard test you took earlier that day, or you want to get away from those particular classes that's been weighing on you mentally and have a little fun. The MAC is designed to help with mental and physical wellness, too. The MAC is designed for students to find their stride, just to see what really works for them from a fitness perspective. The hours are reasonable, too.  

Any plans for new offerings from the MAC or intramurals that you can share?

With intramurals, I'm going to implement some new programs for those who are into the physical aspects of intramurals (basketball, flag football, kickball, softball, yoga, HIIT classes etc.) and those who are not (E-sports, cornhole etc.). I'm going to be teaming up with Kristy Peterson (director of the Center for Arts and Letters) and Active Minds for ArtOberfest events. I will be adding "Weekly Passport" activities for the entire campus, like weekly check-off exercises for people to do each week. Look for more activities to be added to be added to calendar soon.