Seventh in a series of stories highlighting the academic and community achievements of Rocket student-athletes.

By Steve Easton, UToledo associate director of athletic communications

TOLEDO, Ohio - The commitment level required to earn a nursing degree is high for any student at the University of Toledo. But add playing soccer at the collegiate level to the mix, and it makes pursuing a nursing diploma an even more daunting task.

Ashton Cassel and Betsy Lueck are two such examples. The pair are junior captains on the Rockets' women's soccer team as well as nursing majors. A major like nursing can take over students' lives, according to Susan Sochacki, the program director for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program.

"The nursing major requires students to put much of their life on hold so that daily study can be accomplished," said Sochacki. "Nursing has its own language. Not only are students learning health and wellness concepts, they are learning a new and very complex language, with lots of abbreviations and acronyms."

Both Cassel and Lueck have used the same approach to the challenge of becoming a nurse as they would on the soccer field. Their dedication and pursuit of excellence has resulted in perfect 4.0 grade-point averages for both of them thus far, an outcome that does not surprise their head coach, TJ Buchholz.

"I couldn't ask to coach two better people than Ashton and Betsy with the way they put everything into their sport and academics," Buchholz said. "They are people you want to have in your program because of how well they succeed in the classroom and how much they're admired by their team."

Though Cassel and Lueck have each excelled to the fullest academically, they took different paths to selecting nursing as a future occupation. Lueck had early designs on becoming a lawyer before choosing to major in exercise science and eventually nursing at UToledo.

"I was undecided about what to major in when I committed and was actually leaning toward being a lawyer," she said. "That was the one thing that attracted me to the University of Toledo. I was impressed with how many different avenues there were to go because I was interested in a lot of different things."

Cassel chose nursing as her future profession after listening to guest speakers from various medical professions during a class in high school.

"I definitely knew I wanted to be a nurse when I was making the decision to come to Toledo to play soccer," she said. "I was able to learn about a lot of different medical occupations in high school and that really helped me decide nursing was the way for me to go."

What cemented Cassel's decision was seeing the Lloyd A. Jacobs Interprofessional Immersive Simulation Center (IISC). The IISC possesses everything from virtual reality medical visualization to advanced surgical simulation suites.

"On my recruiting visit I was taken to the simulation center and that just blew my mind," Cassel said. "That was when I knew I wanted to come here to play soccer and also be a nursing major."

Lueck also was excited to learn her craft in UToledo's amazing facilities, adding that she also yearned for the opportunity to provide support to people in need.

"I have always wanted to establish connections with patients," she said. "I want to talk with them and be their No. 1 person to go to for help.  That's what a nurse's role is. Having the chance to care for them is what has really inspired me."

Students in UToledo's nursing program work alongside an experienced, licensed nurse in both in-patient and out-patient settings, as well as in the community. They also experience what it is like to deal with surgical and trauma patients, pediatrics, obstetrics and mental health issues. They are given the opportunity to deal with real-world nursing experiences that mirror what they are learning in the classroom, and later challenged with even more responsibilities after mastering course content.

Lueck has already been accepted into the nursing program and is now experiencing what a nurse's life is like.

"My first two clinicals were at a nursing home and at a Boys and Girls Club where I got to know patients on a personal level," she said. "Then I moved into a hospital setting with a medical surgery unit on an ortho floor and had the opportunity to shadow a NICU nurse. I fell in love with being in a post-partem unit."

One of Lueck's instructors took notice of her success within the program and believes that being a student-athlete has helped her.

"Betsy is a great student who works hard on and off the field," said Patricia Sopko, an instructor in the College of Nursing. "I love working with student-athletes as they seem to be more mature, better organized and are able to adapt to changes without becoming overwhelmed."

Lueck praised the education she is receiving at UToledo, noting that it contains the ideal balance of oversight and independent learning.

"We are given a lot of responsibility and independence, but there is always someone watching you to make sure you are doing things correctly," said Lueck. "I still have a lot more to experience. It's amazing to see everything that's involved with being a nurse."
            
Previous Stories About Academic and Community Achievements of Rocket Student-Athletes
Sept. 4 - Chloee Kleespies is Driven to Help Other Diabetic Athletes
Sept. 1 - Stephanie Sherman Follows New Course to Surprising Career Path
Aug. 27 - Amelia Lee Programming Herself for Future Success
Aug. 25 - Competition Breeds Success for Mariah Copeland
Aug. 21 - Eileen Carney Gets Her Teeth into Student-Athlete Experience
Aug. 18 - Bryce Harris Followed His Heart to Find a Career Path