ALEXYS MATCUK OF SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, a senior on the women's swimming & diving team from Maricopa, Ariz., has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Female Student-Athlete of the Week for the week beginning March 20.
The SCAC Character & Community award honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.
Alexys spends most of her evenings at the NEST in Georgetown, Texas where she gets to help mentor at-risk teens. Through many forms of therapy, including art, music, cooking, and exercise, Alexys is there for these teens to help in any capacity.
"We focus on trauma informed care, which is assuming that everyone has some sort of trauma that they're dealing with or working through," says Matcuk.
As Alexys is moving on to her next chapter in life after graduation, she believes it's very important to stay involved with the local teens in her community. As she put it, "They are the future," and she wants to instill confidence and courage in these at-risks teens. The greatest way she did this was simply by showing up and listening. Everyday at the NEST, they circle up and talk. Everyone feels a little vulnerable and uneasy, but multiple people, including Matcuk, said that it was their favorite part of the after school program.
