Doneth earns "Woman of Promise

Members of the St. Bonaventure community presented Andrea Doneth with the Dr. Mary A. Hamilton Woman of Promise Award on March 16.
Image courtesy of Rob RyerAs a member of the women's basketball team, senior Andrea Doneth has earned many accolades for her work on the court.

Tuesday, the East Lansing, Mich. native received honors for her work in the classroom, becoming the ninth person to win the Dr. Mary A. Hamilton Woman of Promise Award from the Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

"I was very surprised when the dean sent me an e-mail informing me that I won the award," Doneth said. "It's a great honor to be voted by the faculty and get that recognition. I honestly feel very humbled and very appreciative of the award."

Four years ago, Doneth toured the campus with little knowledge of St. Bonaventure University and aimed to become a political science major.

"Honestly, I had never heard of this school before in my entire life," Doneth said. "(My family) got an e-mail from (women's basketball) Coach (Jim) Crowley, and we just came out here and visited."

Forced to take summer classes prior to the official start of her freshman year due to her participation on the women's basketball team, Doneth showed signs of future success in a Composition/Critical Thinking I course taught by Patrick Vecchio, professor of journalism and mass communication.

"Even then, it was clear she was going to be a really high achiever," Vecchio said. "I was trying to convince her, 'Major in JMC! Major in JMC!' because she was a good communicator. She was the kind of student I thought my colleagues and I would enjoy working with."

Doneth transferred out of her political science major after one semester and joined the journalism and mass communication program, crediting the department's faculty for influencing the decision.

"I'm an academic person," Doneth said. "I wanted to come here mostly because of basketball. When I got here and I got into the journalism program, I realized I really did make a good decision because this program is amazing and prepares you for the real world."

Doneth acknowledged the close relationship between students and instructors as a standout facet of the program.

"The professors in the program, all of my classmates, everyone is just like a tight-knit community," Doneth said. "I'm really glad I switched."

While she emerged as a team player on the court - ranking eighth in school history with 303 assists - Doneth became a dean's list mainstay, earning the honor for the past six semesters.

Doneth credits her parents' help in creating a balance between athletics and academics while she attended Lansing Catholic High School as a factor into her collegiate success.

"(Basketball's) always been a part of my life," Doneth said. "My parents really prepared me. They obviously pushed me and helped me achieve my dream of playing college basketball, but they always knew that academics came first, and I wouldn't be playing basketball forever."

Doneth also followed the lead of her teammate Katelyn Murray, who carried a 4.0 grade point average (GPA) as a biology major throughout her four years at Bonaventure. Doneth currently maintains a 3.7 GPA.

"Just seeing the way (Murray) works with school and on the court, she was able to do both things so perfectly," Doneth said. "I don't think she meant to be a role model, but she was. If Kate can do it, I can do it if I work hard."

Vecchio noted that the decision process for the award was a tough one, given the quality of the candidates in contention.

"There were many, many qualified candidates," Vecchio said. "This may have been the most difficult time we've had reaching a decision about who would win the Woman of Promise. What it boiled down to with her was the fact that she had done so well academically while at the same time being not only a member of the women's basketball team, but she was a co-captain. Once she was identified as a candidate, the scales very quickly tipped in her direction."

Crowley said Doneth's maturation as a person has been evident throughout her career as a member of the Brown and White.

"She's really grown comfortable to let her personality out more and more," Crowley said. "She is not just a great person, but she's hilarious. She has a great sense of humor. She's comfortable in any situation. She's going to do whatever she wants and be great at it."

Even though she can be seen weekly as a reporter on SBU-TV, Doneth looks to continue her basketball career in a coaching position. She will travel to San Antonio, Texas April 2 to 4 for the "So You Want to be a Coach?" workshop conducted by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), looking to explore her possible career choice.

"Part of me just doesn't see my life without basketball in it," Doneth said. "It's been pretty much of the love of my life. I think my ideal situation would be to get a graduate assistantship in women's basketball and also get my master's degree. Hopefully, the WBCA thing will open things for me."

e-mail: papsejr@sbu.edu