Jan. 10, 2007 Moving halfway across the world would have been enough of a challenge for most college students, but Pavlovskaya continues to challenge herself in athletics, the classroom, and in service. As a student she has excelled in her marketing classes with serious considerations towards graduate school in the near future. She has also taken to the call of the old Jesuit mantra, being a woman with and for others. Through the Faith Justice Institute and Campus Ministry, Pavlovskaya has and will continue to participate in various service immersion trips. Last summer she, along with other Saint Joseph's students, went to El Salvador as part of the Jesuit Encounter program. Once in El Salvador they met up with students from other Jesuit Universities and participating in a series of lectures covering different subjects from labor conditions to fair trade. Part of the experience that Pavlovskaya will cherish forever was the dedication and commitment that all the immersion members showed. "It was fun finding people who care about the same things. Growing up in Russia, I have been around poor conditions and understand what these people are going through," added Pavlovskaya. Like last year summer, she will again be going down to Latin America on a summer immersion trip. This time her and other fellow hawks will be traveling to Ecuador. Though they never really know what they will be doing till they are actually there, they plan on working with the surrounding community, especially the kids. In addition to the above mentioned individual service, the Women's Basketball team runs several basketball clinics throughout the year for younger kids. So far they have worked with middle school girls from Germantown and Plymouth Whitemarsh. Pavlovskaya looks forward to these clinics as a chance to work with young ladies and help them develop their basketball skills. "Working with kids is always fun, especially when they are willing to work hard and learn," a smiling Pavlovskaya commented. Other service programs the women have done include, cleaning up at local Samuel Gompers Elementary School, and working at the Free Library of Philadelphia. At the Library some these women cleaned up the garden while others painted the fence. The future for his Russian native seems very bright. In whatever career this international marketing major chooses, she will no doubt use at least one or two of the many languages that she has learned. Given the proximity of the St. Petersburg to neighboring Finland, Pavlovskaya studied there and took Finish as a second language in school. Throughout the years she has played in a few tournaments in Finland. Though not entirely fluent in Finish she is bilingual in Russian and English. Though this is the last winter of her college basketball career, she hopes to stay with the sport in the future. Next year Pavlovskaya will most likely begin graduate school, and could coach her younger teammates as a graduate assistant. But this season she will take nothing for granted. As these lady hawks look to build upon the success of last years solid season, there is no doubt that the six-foot five-inch Russian born center will emerge as a leader on and off the court. "I look forward to giving it my best and doing whatever I can to help my team this winter," adds Pavlovskaya. One can only hope that her continued service and immersion experiences rub off on some of the underclassmen. |
