By: Devin Tracy, Athletic Communications Intern
For some student athletes, being the best isn’t what’s important, but having a lasting bond and a great education is. If you talk to former State University of New York at New Paltz women’s volleyball student-athlete Ada (Gil) Wood, she expresses how bonding with teammates and education is the most important aspect of college.
New Paltz grabbed the attention of Wood when her graduation from George Washington High School was nearing. She was a born and raised in New York City and was looking for a way to get out.
“NYC was simply not for me,” Wood says. “But, at the same time, I did not want to go too far away and not see my family whenever I wanted.”
Even though Wood won the Pegasus Award during her high school career, she was not heavily recruited outside of New York City. One day, while being with friends at Central Park, she met the then-New Paltz women’s volleyball coach Tony Bonilla, and she found her way out of NYC.
“My dilemma was resolved as soon as I met Tony Bonilla,” says Wood of the current assistant men’s volleyball coach and New Paltz Athletics Hall of Famer. In her eyes, New Paltz was the perfect fit because it was not too far, but just far enough.
Once getting to New Paltz and examining all of the major programs, Wood had her eye set on the education field. At first, she wanted to be a P.E. teacher, but her freshmen year, the program was discontinued. This did not discourage Wood from staying at New Paltz, and she decided to stay with education and choose Spanish as her focus.
“I have always wanted to work in a school, so whether it was P.E. or Spanish, it did not really matter,” Wood explains. Upon graduation from New Paltz, Wood obtained a teaching position at Kingston High School and earned tenure there.
The teaching career for Wood would not stop there. She is a person who likes to seek opportunity no matter where it lands her. A few years after being at Kingston High School, Wood, her husband, Ben, who is also a New Paltz alumnus, and their 2-year old daughter moved south to North Carolina.
After five years of teaching in Wake County, Wood found another opportunity to teach Spanish at an overseas family school called the International School in Singapore.
“Singapore was another opportunity we could not pass up, which helped us explore Asia,” Wood says.
Today, Wood lives in Munich, Germany, and is teaching and tutoring at the Munich International School, but she is looking forward to the day when she moves back to the United States.
What student-athletes don’t realize during their time at New Paltz is that being an athlete only helps in one’s future career. Wood, the four-time First-Team All-SUNYAC star, explains how being a student-athlete helped her become successful in her teaching career. She learned to have the discipline in her schedule and to manage her time in the most efficient way possible.
“Being part of the team taught me that my contributions are valued and that I do make a difference with what I can bring to the table,” Wood explains. “I have the same feeling while I work on a new lesson plan.”
When looking back on her experience at New Paltz, Wood has nothing but great memories.
“I have many wonderful memories, but what I hold dear to my heart is the feeling of belonging,” Wood says. Wood tells how she made friends for life while being a Hawk and felt part of a special group of people. Wood wants to express this feeling of belonging to others as well and is currently volunteering to help out the junior volleyball team at her child’s school.
When it is all said and done, Wood knows why it is important to do your best in both your sport and academics. It is important to find a balance between having fun and preforming at your best level possible. Wood wants to leave a message to all current Hawks by saying, “Enjoy the process but never forget why you are there in the first place: to get an education and set yourself up for the next stage of your life.”
