New Paltz athletic communications intern Devin Tracy caught up with senior Jessica Schmidt of the New Paltz women's tennis team for the week 21 release of the 2014-15 Senior Spotlight series that will have a new senior interviewed every Monday.

Q: What brought you to New Paltz when you were deciding on what college to go to?
A: "Once I decided that I wanted to play tennis in college, I had narrowed down my choices to a top three (between New Paltz and two private schools). What made me decide to choose New Paltz was that it met my needs for both academics and for tennis. The other schools did not compare for tennis. This school had the best program and the team was close-knit, which I really liked. I knew right after I had my overnight here that this is where I wanted to go."
 
Q: What do you think is the greatest thing about being a Hawk? 
A: "I think the greatest thing about being a Hawk is representing our school both on and off the court. We all do great things while we are on the court or the field, but I also like how we try and help the community by doing things like the leaf rake and Kids Sports Night. It is great to be a part of something like that, and it can be very rewarding."
 
Q: What is your greatest memory while being on the women's tennis team?
A: "My greatest memory has to be the SUNYAC championship my junior year. Although the team lost, I won my doubles match with my partner at the time. We came there to avenge a loss to the same doubles team that we experienced during the regular season. It was such a close match, and it proved to be a tough loss. But then we came back strong and beat them when it mattered in the championship. I was so happy."
 
Q: What is a hobby not many people know you like to do?
A: "I love sports, so whenever my teams are playing, I try to watch them whenever I can. I follow all news regarding sports to make sure I know what is going on around the sports world. I also watch a lot of primetime TV shows so I make sure to keep up with those as well."
 
Q: What are your future plans after graduation?
A: "My plans after graduation are to find a job in human resources, so I will be looking to find something related to that field. I also plan to continue to play tennis. I am currently in a USTA (United States Tennis Association) mixed doubles league, so I will continue to play in that and possibly join more teams in the future."