D.J. Albert named UC Scholar-Athlete of the Month for August

“When I came to UC, it was neat the amount of respect you get as a student athlete,” says junior D.J. Albert. “Coming here (UC) makes you feel like you are part of the elite... and it’s something I take very seriously.”

D.J. Albert, a junior, has made his mark on UC through athletics and academics. As a midfielder on the men’s soccer team, D.J. has achieved great things in his time here at UC. It is even more remarkable that he has done these on the field as a mechanical engineering major in the ACCEND Program at the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Balance is a way of life for D.J. To be successful in every aspect of his life, D.J. needs to possess skill, stamina, vision and tactical understanding. As a midfielder on the men’s soccer team, D.J. has to manage both an offensive and defensive position. He has to juggle supporting the offense while acting as the first line of the defense. Academically, D.J. juggles majoring in mechanical engineering, minoring in business, all while being part of the ACCEND program.

The ACCEND program allows students to simultaneously work toward their undergraduate and master’s degree.  D.J. balances his academic and athletic requirements very well. He maintains a 3.54 GPA and has been named UC Scholar-Athlete of the Month for August.

D.J. knows that being a Bearcat is more than just attending UC. He describes the immense amount of work, effort and heart it takes to become a Bearcat but says, “it’s a huge privilege and opportunity to be a part of.”

D.J. started his athletic career at UC in 2008, but his season was cut short due to a leg injury which sidelined him for the last five games of the season. Since recovering from his injury, he started 15 matches in 2009, scoring a pair of goals and an assist. He saw over 1,200 minutes of action.  In the most recent season, in 2010, D.J. started 12 matches and played just over 1,100 minutes.

The achievements of a student athlete do not come easily. They take hard work and commitment.  The level of focus and balance these students maintain is inspiring. “Believe me it’s sometime hard but there is no reason you still can’t have fun, but it’s about having that discipline and being able to stay on track with what you’re doing,”  says D.J., referring to the demands placed on a student athlete.

His advice to future students is to “now these four or five years of your life are probably the most important and probably the ones you are going to be setting up habits for the rest of your life."

D.J. looks forward to entering into his fourth year in the engineering program. He is excited to be taking engineering classes exclusively, two of which are graduate-level courses.

On top of his rigorous school and athletic schedule, he has also had the opportunity to expand his horizons through the UC co-op program. He has worked throughout his college career for AK Steel Corp., each time gaining more experience and responsibility.

D.J. has always had different ideas of what he would do when he grew up. He says, “I’ve always had dreams of becoming a professional soccer player, but in reality I can’t tell the futur." In the meantime, he balances that dream with the knowledge that he’ll secure a top-flight engineering job after graduation.