STUDENT OF THE MONTH - March 2009
Mary Worthen - Biological Sciences
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.

Click here to see a list of previous Students of the Month
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