Student Spotlight: Angel Santos
Class of 2025
Degree:
B.S. in Health Sciences (Physical Therapy track)
Hometown:
Chambersburg, Pa.
Where are you from and what brought you to Marymount?
I’m from Chambersburg, Pa., which is a small town outside of Gettysburg. I played lacrosse in high school and my coach knew the Men’s Lacrosse coach here at Marymount, so when I was going through the recruiting process, Marymount was one of the schools I looked at. When I came to campus for a tour, it was a bit of a culture shock for me. I grew up going to Amish farms and battlefields for field trips, so the idea of going to school in such an urban setting seemed very foreign to me. I was a bit wary, but what sold Marymount for me was the relationship I developed with the coach. I was very close to my high school coach and I immediately felt that same connection with the Marymount coaching staff. They made me feel comfortable and at home. Walking around campus, I felt that Marymount was a place I could see myself going for the next four years, and that’s what solidified my decision to come here.
How has being a student-athlete impacted your college experience?
Being a student-athlete has made me a better, more mature person. Coming into college, I was a young kid who didn’t know much about anything. Now, I am a young man with clear goals and dreams. I owe a lot of that maturity and growth to being a member of the lacrosse team. As an athlete, you have a lot of obligations, from practices to games. You learn to lean on structure and how to prioritize your time. Being an athlete gave me much more incentive to excel in the classroom, to keep my GPA up and get good grades because that contributes to the team GPA, which opens our team up to more district awards. I found that excelling in the classroom and on the field go hand in hand, which inspired me to stay focused on giving my best all the time. The most important thing for me has been the incredible relationships I have formed with my teammates. I know I’ll be able to call those guys my friends for the rest of my life. Being a student-athlete has given me so much and I’m so grateful for all of the growth, friendships and memories that I carry with me into the future.
What are your future plans?
I’ve found that the two things I am passionate about are health and sales. I’d like to find a job in the medical device sales field that can merge those two passions. I plan to take a gap year and do some sales work to test the waters a bit and see if that is the path I’d like to take. While at Marymount, I also worked as a strength and conditioning intern with our head athletic trainer, which has taught me a lot about the world of athletic training and physical therapy. So I’m also interested in exploring that path.
What is your advice to student-athletes about how to make the most of their college experience?
Coming into a new school after having been recruited, you can feel a lot of pressure. You’re with a new team and you are constantly worried about how you are performing. You can get wrapped up in how much playing time you are getting and get bogged down by the thought that you’re not good enough to play at the college level. But you can’t let that discouragement hold you back—you’ve got to keep your confidence up. Remember that you aren’t alone. You have teammates and coaches rooting for you and wanting to help you become the best you can be. Lean on them and make sure you are taking care of your mental health. When you let go of that pressure, you will have the freedom to just have fun and make memories with your teammates.
