Academic success in the College of Arts and Sciences often requires a serious balancing act, and few know better than our student athletes how much time, energy and organization go into juggling all the elements of a successful and fulfilling college life. A case in point is our student of the month for March, Ms. Mary Worthen, who has combined rigorous study and exceptional academic success as a pre-med biology major, hard work and leadership on the USC women's soccer team, and more recently, world travel to Spain through the USC Study Abroad Program. In all of these endeavors she has maintained the poise and purpose needed to accomplish her goals, assimilate new knowledge and grow from it.

Mary is originally from eastern North Carolina and grew up with her two older brothers, Adrian and David. From a young age she developed an intense regard for nature, sports and dogs. She loves hiking, surfing, snowboarding and still has three dogs to call her own. Her intense life-long interest in sports lead to participation in soccer and eventually a scholarship to USC. Mary has been involved with soccer most of her life and participated in womens' soccer at USC, in which time the team was rated as high as the top 10 nationally. Perhaps her most vivid soccer memory was the 1-0 victory over the reigning national championship team from UNC Chapel Hill, which turned out to be the upset of the year, especially because it was the opening game of the season and one that NC had never lost!

Mary is a premed biology major, and with good reason. Her Mom and Dad, Olga and Mark,are physicians living in North Carolina. Her brothers are presently in medical school and she has been through interviews recently at several major medical schools to hopefully make it five of a kind. She has long term professional interests in helping care for people in need through medicine, with aspirations in becoming a surgeon.

As we tell all our students, the experience of living and studying in another country is exceptionally valuable in developing a personal world-view. Mary went to Spain in the Fall of 2008 as a study abroad student taking spanish language and other cultural courses to expand her intellectual and experiential horizons. She lived in Barcelona and had, some exceptional adventures with the people, food, soccer games and travel all over europe. As can be seen in the image of her from Barcelona, Mary still gravitates to soccer. Here she stands dressed in the red, blue and golden yellow colors of the home town team, at the highest edge of F.C. Barcelona's own field.

Mary is graduating in May 2009, ready to move on towards new horizons and to take up new challenges after a robust and successful college career. This summer, however, before starting medical school, she has set a goal for herself of creating three screen plays. She loves writing, painting and the piano... a truly renaissance young woman. We are glad to have helped enrich her educational life during her University years and wish her well in all she undertakes to accomplish in the arts and sciences in the future.