Cleveland State University

In this Celebrate. Recognize. Inspire. series get to know former student-athletes that not only achieved success in competition,
but also achieved success in the classroom - graduating as Valedictorians of their respective colleges. Through a collection of questions,
get to know more about their time as a student-athlete, where their path led them and what advice they have for current Vikings.

Name & Sport:
Jen Wisniewski, Women's Fencing

Graduation Date:
Spring 2019

Valedictorian in the College of:
Washkewicz College of Engineering

Degree(s):
Mechanical Engineering
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Favorite athletic memory during your time at Cleveland State:
I had three knee surgeries three years in a row, after that I struggled with squatting any significant weight. However, working with our strength and conditioning team I slowly started progressing and my favorite memory is max day, achieving a back squat max of 225 lbs - something I would have never thought possible.

What did you learn about yourself during your time as a Viking:
I learned that I am resilient and can do anything with the right mind set. After tearing two ACLs two years in a row, I left the CSU women’s soccer team
and walked-on to the women’s fencing team, a sport I had never played before. I went on to have a successful fencing career at CSU
and met some of my life long friends while doing it. 

Three words that describe your experience as a student-athlete:
Rewarding. Fun-Filled. Arduous.

How did you balance your athletic and academic demands:
I created a lot of color-coded lists and schedules to book my time and keep myself on task.
Wherever possible, I tried to complete assignments earlier rather than later in case I needed to ask additional questions or do more research.
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Current job:
Continuous Improvement Engineer

Career path that led you to your current job:
This was my first job out of school, but having my Master's in Mechanical Engineering definitely helped.

How did being a student-athlete at CSU help you get to where you are now:
Being a student-athlete prepared me to overcome adversity and challenge myself to reach higher and dig deeper when problem solving.
As a student-athlete I also learned that everyone can be your teammate, even if you don’t see eye to eye. That’s helped me tremendously
in coaching others in my job where my main responsibility is to help others see where they can improve their processes.

How did you use your time at CSU to figure out what you wanted your career path to look like:
I did internships each summer while I was at school and even worked during the school year. These internships gave me invaluable insight into the day to day responsibilities of different roles and companies. If nothing else, I learned what I didn’t want to do and that really helped shape my career path after school. 

Where do you see yourself going from here in your professional career:
In the future I hope to be a Continuous Improvement Manager where I can continue to coach others and develop people to be better problem solvers.
I like helping people and solving problems, so if I can do that in any job I will feel fulfilled. 
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Advice to current student-athletes:
Take each day and each task one step at a time. Don’t forget to pick your head up and be grateful for where YOU are at because everyone has their
own story and their own set of challenges. Comparing yourself to other people is a dangerous game and one that is never won. 

What would you say to your Cleveland State coach that helped you get where you are today:
Thank you for believing in me and challenging me to be better tomorrow than I am today. Thank you for giving me a safe environment
where I can make mistakes and grow because of them. I have a lot of fond memories of being a student-athlete and it is truly a big part of who I am today. 

What would you say to a Cleveland State advisor or professor that helped you get where you are today:
Thank you for providing me with a strong foundation to be the professional that I am today. I learned a lot from many of my professors,
but most importantly I learned that it is okay to ask questions and not have all the answers. 
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Being a student-athlete at Cleveland State allowed me to...
...be my own fiercest competitor and challenge myself to continuously improve each day.