Fielding Goals

Tabatha Gonzalez ’18 knows how to set and score goals. As a digital journalism major and Pace soccer player, she is writing her path to victory one good story and game at a time through Pace’s unmatched opportunities.

“Pace gives you the opportunity to stand out,” Gonzalez says. “The school really focuses on getting its students on track for the real world. They require you to have internships, ask you what your goals are, and teach you on a different level that stimulates your mind.”

Gonzalez was offered scholarships to play collegiate soccer at several universities, but Pace was in a league of its own that made her choice easy.

“Pace stood out to me,” she says. “I looked into the University and liked how it was well-ranked, located in the perfect area, and focused on helping students obtain internships while in school, and then land jobs that lead them into their careers straight out of college.”

She was drawn to the Pleasantville Campus because it felt like home and was only a short distance from internships and career opportunities.

“The small class ratios allow you to get to know your professors—a lot of which have connections to people in your major—and they make you feel included,” she says. “They offer many organizations that allow you to find people you will be friends with throughout college and even the future, and they offer services and events that take away the stress of college and allow you to enjoy yourself on and off campus.”

In the classroom, learning about the ever-evolving world of journalism is helping her grow intellectually while preparing her to be the ethical and honest professional journalist she aspires to be. Her studies focus on the history of journalism, current journalism, and the future of the industry, and have inspired her to restore reporting to the high standards and ethics for which it was once known.

“I have analyzed the negatives of journalism and have focused on changing those for an all-positive future,” Gonzalez says. “There’s the cliché that change doesn’t come easily, and it’s true. By studying my field, I’ve learned that many steps must be taken to bring justice to journalism, and by doing so, we can provide the service of educating citizens about the daily news.”

As a part of the Writing Center staff, Gonzalez shares her knack for words and grammar with fellow students looking to enhance their own writing skills.

“In the Writing Center, we help students achieve their highest potential of writing through the collaborative work service we offer,” she says. “We try to teach them skills they can use later on in life.”

She helps students develop their own voices and asks them questions that prompt their thoughts, leading to a well-structured paper. In addition to academics, Gonzalez sets goals on the soccer field as a midfielder, with she dreams of winning a Northeast-10 championship during her college athletic career.

“It’s an honor to be able to finally say I’m a collegiate soccer player after all of the years of work I put in to achieve this,” she says.

Though being on the team requires hours of practice and full dedication, Gonzalez says she is grateful for every minute.

“Every loss we have is an example to practice harder, and every tie we finish with is a lesson that we have to give our full effort,” she says. “Every win we earn is an assurance that our hard work is going to good use.”

She says she plans to continue her work on the field and in the classroom in pursuit of a career at an online newspaper or magazine writing about sports or global politics.

“To me, academic excellence means prospering in classes, not only through the reflection of good grades, but also by applying information you learned from class in everyday conversations, in other class discussions, and in real world systems because you grow as a student and citizen,” Gonzalez says. “You can share your knowledge with other people and even help them become more well-rounded and knowledgeable.”