Victoria Pasalic of the Women's Volleyball team has won the Keepers of the FourDirections Award – South, at Mohawk's 2021 Indigenous Student Awards ceremony this past month.
The Keepers of the FourDirections Award is given to an Indigenous student who demonstrates academic success and personal growth in one of the four directions of the Medicine Wheel.
"Receiving an Indigenous Student Award alleviated some of the financial strains and hardships that come along with being a student and have allowed me to focus on my studies and reduce the stressors that financial burdens of school expenses cause," says Pasalic, a third-year student-athlete at Mohawk. "It is the generosity of the student award donors who believe in students like me, that provide hope and inspiration to become the best we can be."
Pasalic talks about how important student award donors are to college students as it allows them to focus more on academics, and in her case, athletics as well. Her dedication has shown in all aspects during her time with the Mountaineers. Pasalic worked hard to continue developing her volleyball game, while excelling in the classroom and remaining active within the Indigenous Student Services community.
Women's Volleyball head coach Matthew Schnarr says Pasalic has grown immensely during her three years with the Mountaineers that have seen her graduate from both the Health, Wellness and Fitness program and Pre-Health program.
"The criteria for this award is fitting for her time as a Mountaineer student-athlete. Vic P has worked hard on her academic studies over her three years, allowing her to graduate from two programs," says Schnarr who coached Pasalic for the past three years.
"Her personal journey as a student-athlete has been special to be a part of. She has grown from the shy, unsure freshman athlete to a confident, supportive and team first attitude kind of human. Her impact on the program was bigger than I understood until this year and for that, our program is forever grateful," adds Schnarr.
The 5-foot-9 outside hitter played in just two games as a freshman before taking a big step forward in 2019-2020. She appeared in 17 games last year and quickly became an important piece of the Mountaineers offensive attack. Pasalic was destined for another strong campaign in 2020-2021 as she closed out her career at Mohawk.
Pasalic says she's definitely grown throughout these past three years and that two of the communities she's surrounded herself with have been a major part of that.
"During my educational journey over the past three years I've been a part of two amazing campus communities. Mountaineers Varsity Volleyball and the Indigenous Student Services have allowed me many opportunities to be a part of something truly amazing and make memories that will last a lifetime," explains Pasalic. "Being a part of these communities has provided the confidence to believe in myself and the abilities to achieve my goals."
As Pasalic graduates from her Pre-Health program this spring, she is now preparing to start a new journey over the next two years as she pursues a career as a paramedic. The Athletic Department would like to congratulate Victoria on her award and accomplishments throughout her time at Mohawk College.
With that, we leave you with some words from Victoria on how important the Indigenous Student Services were to her overall experience as a student.
"It is important to express my ongoing gratitude to the Mohawk community and the ongoing services and supports provided during my educational journey by Indigenous Student Services on campus," says Pasalic.
"The supports and services provided go far beyond being an award recipient. The staff and their dedication to students go above and beyond and their ability to provide ongoing supports throughout the school year brings comfort and peace of mind."
