December 2022 CCACSA Student-Athletes of the Month (2024)

BATON ROUGE – The LSU Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes (CCACSA) recognizes student-athletes for their scholastic and community achievements each month. Student-athletes are chosen based on their commitment to academic success and for their devotion to volunteerism and service to the community.

Here are the December 2022 CCACSA’s staff Student-Athletes of the Month:

Sierra Ballard: Junior, Gymnastics, Mandeville, La. (Finance)

Nominator – Taylor Dennehy, Assistant Director: “Sierra is the epitome of a student-athlete and does an amazing job representing LSU. Not only is she dedicated in the gym, but she also works hard in the classroom and the community. Sierra has been extremely involved in community service, including setting up events with her team. With a senior-level course load as a junior, she has immersed herself in her classes and excelled in her coursework. I can always count on Sierra to bring positive and uplifting energy to the office and to motivate her fellow student-athletes.”

Maggie Cubitt: Senior, Women’s Tennis, Spartanburg, S.C. (Marketing)

Nominator – Jason Shaw, Director of Academic Affairs: “Maggie has done a great job balancing the schedule of being a Student-Athlete and has been a great example to her peers. She is always on top of things and possesses great organizational skills that she has used to assist her teammates. We are very excited for her upcoming May 2023 graduation date and look forward to all that she has to offer!”

Nina Geissler: Senior, Women’s Tennis, Rorschach, Switzerland (General Business)

Nominator – Jason Shaw, Director of Academic Affairs: “Nina has done a great job balancing the schedule of being a Student-Athlete and has been a great example to her peers. As an international student-athlete, she has been able to assist international teammates assimilate to LSU and Baton Rouge. She has excelled academically and brings a great attitude and work ethic, as evident by maintained a 3.7 of higher GPA during her time here. We look forward to her continued success and are very excited for her upcoming May 2023 graduation date!”

Stefan Latinovict: Senior, Men’s Tennis, Belgrade, Serbia (Information Systems & Decisions Sciences)

Nominator – Jason Shaw, Director of Academic Affairs: “Since arriving at LSU in Summer 2022 as a transfer student, Stefan has been a model student-athlete. Despite a hectic fall travel schedule, he was able to balance sport and academic obligations. Stefan takes the initiative in reaching out to individuals and maintains a professional level of communication. It is exciting to see Stefan continue to grow as a student and an athlete this upcoming spring semester as he progresses toward his goal of graduating.”

LT Welch: Freshman, Football, Lafayette, La. (Sport Administration)

Nominator – Football Academic Team: “LT has been very persistent all semester when it comes to his academics. He consistently holds himself accountable to meet the expectations of each one of his classes and never hesitates to ask for help when he needs it. Outside of sessions, LT continues to still check in to ensure that he is always on track with his assignments. LT is a phenomenal communicator, he is polite to everyone that he meets, and he is determined to be the best that he can be inside and outside of the classroom. We are very proud of LT and everything that he has done since arriving at LSU!”

Emily Ward: Senior, Women’s Basketball, Bossier City, La. (Mass Communication)

Nominator – Carole Walker, Senior Associate Director: “Emily has been a non-scholarship member of the women’s basketball team for the past 3 years and not once has she waivered in her commitment to both her sport and her academics. She is a leader, a very positive person and has always been the biggest fan of her own teammates despite not seeing much playing time in her first 3 years. All of Emily’s hard work has finally paid off and is now on a full athletic scholarship. Emily will graduate this December and start graduate school in the spring pursing a Master of Science in Leadership & Human Resource Development.”

Accountability – Commitment – Success – Integrity – Diversity – Teamwork – Service – Education

It is through living the values of the Total Team Commitment 2017-2022, particularly education, academic success, and service to the community that six student-athletes are recognized as Cox Communications Academic Center Student-Athlete of the month. These values are fundamental to the growth and development of our student-athletes as they enter to learn, then leave to serve.

The Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes is a 54,000 square-foot facility composed of teams for academic affairs, student affairs and information technology, who annually serve more than 500 student-athletes. The purpose of the CCACSA is to provide an all-inclusive, student-centered support structure for all student-athletes from matriculation, through graduation, and life beyond.

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