aking

“If I lose a game on a Thursday night but have to take a Chemistry exam the next morning, I’ve got to stay focused. It’s about switching to the right mindset.”

Vore’s journey to medical school hasn’t been easy. Along with the challenges that come with a rigorous academic program, he has also had to juggle a busy travel schedule with the baseball team and the numerous commitments that come with being a student-athlete. It wasn’t uncommon to find Vore up late and studying while his teammates slept during long bus rides, or see him hurry off to a hotel conference room to take an exam the morning before an important game.

“I watched a lot of lectures online and studied on bus rides and planes,” he says. “My professors have been really understanding about my time commitment outside the classroom. That flexibility really helped me.”

The academic support he’s received as a student-athlete has also been vital. It’s about more than just having coaches proctor exams while on the road, according to Vore, though that’s important. “At every meeting with our coaching staff, they cover what you do on the field, but also how you’re doing in the classroom and in your life. They focus on the whole person,” he says.

Vore points to his work as President of Butler’s StudentAthlete Advisory Council (SAAC) as instrumental in developing leadership skills. It’s a position that enabled him to represent Butler in the BIG EAST and NCAA’s respective student-athlete advisory councils.

He has also worked closely with Sonya Hopkins, Associate Athletics Director for Academics, to develop an academic plan that would get him into medical school, and the baseball team’s coaching staff have also helped keep him focused.

“Jon is exceptional—he does it all,” says Hopkins. “I’m amazed by students who are able to balance writing papers, working hard in practice, and scoring higher than average on an exam they had to take early because they were going to be traveling to compete against a Conference foe. And that’s Jon.”

Vore chose Butler because he knew that the University would enable him to achieve his dream of attending medical school and play baseball at a high level. What’s been most surprising, though, is how many unique opportunities his twin pursuits have opened up. An elbow injury impacted his ability to play baseball—but the surgery to repair it had a surprise silver lining.

“Baseball has given me so much access to different parts of medicine. I was able to shadow the surgeon who performed my surgery, and I watched him perform the same procedure I had on someone else,” he says.

For Vore, success is all about having the right mindset— taking all the challenges in the classroom and on the field in stride and focusing on the big picture. It takes a team effort to make that mindset possible, though, and as Vore looks ahead to a career in medicine, he’s grateful for everyone who has helped him along the way.

“The people are the best part of Butler for me. I’ll always remember fun times with my teammates on the road, or grinding through difficult workouts,” he says. “I think it’s the people who make Butler what it is, who make people so happy to be here.”

By Katrina Youngs

In high school, Butler senior and Germany native Aliya Diagne knew she wanted to pursue both of her passions in college—soccer and academics. “As a college student in Germany, you can only play soccer as a hobby,” she says. Not willing to sacrifice one passion for another, Diagne was willing to travel thousands of miles to the United States for college.

It was during a university showcase her junior year of high school that Diagne met with coaches from Butler’s Women’s Soccer Team. She was instantly intrigued. Shortly after their conversation, the coaches invited her to visit campus. This would be Diagne’s first trip to America.

“While facing this life change was scary, I knew it was the direction I wanted to take. Butler was known for their soccer program and well-established academics. Finding a top-notch soccer program and top-notch university was important to me, and I was able to find that at Butler.”

That visit to Butler turned into an acceptance and in August 2019, Diagne was officially a first-year student. Although thousands of miles away from her home in Germany, Diagne credits her coaches and teammates with helping her acclimate to campus.

“Everything was so new to me; I felt like I didn’t have time to think about being so far away from home. My coaches and teammates quickly became my family, which helped me to not feel so homesick.”

“There were also many international students on my team— from Australia, England, Canada, and Israel. We shared a bond about our different cultures, which also made my transition from Germany a little easier.”

In addition to having support from her soccer family, Diagne credits the connections made with professors as just as important to her Butler experience.

“When I was researching how to make the most of the college experience, one of the things I kept reading was the importance of developing relationships with your professors,” she says. “The smaller classes allowed me to do that.”

Diagne, who is a double-major in Finance and STS (Science, Technology, and Society), credits STS Professor Carol Reeves with boosting her confidence with the English language. “My sophomore year I took a course with Dr. Reeves. The course was discussion-based and she wanted all her students to participate in the discussion. At the time, I was extremely insecure about my English. One day after class, I told her I was from Germany and that I wasn’t comfortable speaking English. She then helped me with my English writing and speaking skills. She really pushed me to be more confident in myself.”

Like all student-athletes, there are multiple commitments to juggle. For Diagne, these have resulted in new transferrable skills she will continue to use once she graduates.

“Being a student-athlete has taught me the importance of time management. From balancing my double majors, soccer practice, and internships, I have learned to prioritize my time more efficiently. Additionally, my coaches and teammates provide me with the support I need if I’m ever feeling stressed with my commitments. Our coaches care about us as people, not just as soccer players.”