Throughout the spring semester we are celebrating our senior student-athletes with a Senior Salute Series. Today's featured senior is cross country and track and field's Zane DeMercurio. DeMercurio is a neuroscience major.
Q: Why did you choose to attend The College of Wooster?
A: We had some family friends who said they attended Wooster and loved it. Since Wooster is only an hour from my house and the scholarship offered was very generous, I decided that Wooster was the best place for me.
Q: What does being a Fighting Scot student-athlete mean to you?
A: It means I represent Wooster in all that I do. It means I intend on showing to the Wooster community, the North Coast Athletic Conference, and the world that Wooster fosters a school spirit unlike anywhere else. It means I am willing to perform at my very best on the course and in the classroom. Most importantly, it means I am meant to form and maintain long-lasting bonds with the teammates I have so we can help to improve each other's lives forever.
Q: What are some of your favorite memories as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: I have always loved the yearly spring trip that our track and field team takes to Myrtle Beach. I also liked the overnight trips to cross country regional meets, as they bring the team closer together.
Q: What is the best part about being a student-athlete at The College of Wooster?
A: The best part about being a cross country and track and field student-athlete at Wooster is seeing my favorite people on the indoor track every single day at 4 p.m. Seeing our coach, Dennis Rice, is pretty awesome too.
Q: What else were you involved with on campus besides your sport?
A: I have been involved in the health coach program with Wooster Community Hospital, which has cemented my plans to continue on to medical school after graduation. Visiting my patients has given me a new sense of purpose and desire to serve the Wooster community to the best of my ability.
Q: Which College of Wooster faculty or staff member has made the greatest impact on you and why?
A: Dr. James West taught me in his biology 201 class what it meant to truly work for a grade. I am in his principles of biochemistry class now, and I think I am learning that same lesson again. I have learned from his classes that hard work does not happen overnight. True success is found by repeated, consistent efforts.
Q: What other people or resources impacted your Wooster experience in a positive way and how did these people and resources set you up to be successful at Wooster?
A: Peer advising has helped me to focus and learn what I needed to for my especially difficult classes. Using this resource taught me how important it is to collaborate with peers, as many will know more than you and can therefore help you in your understanding of class material. Charlie Cuttino, a fellow cross country and track and field senior and peer advisor for me during my organic chemistry classes, is a prime example of someone who is willing to collaborate with others to advance their understanding of difficult subjects.
Q: Tell us a bit about your Independent Study project?
A: I am researching Alzheimer's disease using fruit flies as a model for neurodegeneration. The protein glucocerebrosidase has been implicated in a related neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson's disease, recently, but no research has been conducted to confirm or deny a relationship between the protein and Alzheimer's. I aim to fill in this gap in the literature to hopefully bring the neuroscience world one step closer towards a more complete understanding, and hopefully one day a cure of Alzheimer's disease.
Q: Tell us a bit about something cool you did as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: As an extension of the health coach program, I participated in an APEX Fellowship, performing the duties of a health coach on a larger scale during the summer between my sophomore and junior years. Throughout the school year we typically have 1-2 patients to see weekly, but for this summer program, we had around 20. This experience provided me a glimpse into the world of primary care and further confirmed my desire to become a physician.
Q: Reflecting back on your time at Wooster, what advice would you give your first-year self?
A: Don't be so worried about whether or not you are making every right decision. The friends you will make, the grades you will get, and the things you will end up doing are all to teach you something about yourself that you will learn to improve upon. Christ's plan for you will work out so long as you continue serving him.
Interested in becoming a Fighting Scot?
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