2015-Cory Spera

Cory Spera

First Major: BS Biology

Personal Statement
Many members of the Class of 2015 represent everything and more that Senator Pepper described as the “Lafayette Ideal”. I consider myself lucky to be considered along with such great individuals and the task of separating myself from them is a futile one, but I do think that I have contributed to Lafayette and the greater community in a unique way since I moved into South College in August 2011. I have made lasting friendships and formed relationships with professors, worked hard in the classroom to earn a high GPA, and have participated in two summers plus a semester of research with my sights set on medical school.
I am also involved in many campus activities that have been fun and rewarding, but the activities that allowed me to give back, like helping first-year athletes through the Peer Mentor program and putting on the Lafayette Leadership Institute for first-year and sophomore students, have been the most gratifying. However, I think the experiences I have had through my varsity, intercollegiate athletic experience best exemplify the “Lafayette Ideal”. Through baseball, I have represented the college across the country on the field.
Off the field, I have had many volunteer opportunities with teammates, from working at the Miracle League of Northampton County, to cleaning up debris in Queens after Hurricane Sandy, activities that I sincerely hope have helped the community and have enhanced the college and its image. Winning this award would be a great achievement and I am humbled to be considered a candidate. I am fortunate to have been friends with the past two winners, Zach and Brad, and to be nominated for an award that two of my biggest role models on campus during my tenure at Lafayette won, is truly an honor.

Academic Activities/Awards – Total Years Involved

Dean’s List 4
Received the recognition for each of the 7 semesters I have completed.
EXCEL Research (Chemistry) 2
Worked for two summers with Dr. Mylon on an environmental chemistry research project focusing on trace amounts of copper in water and its effects on denitrifying bacteria.
EXCEL Research (Sociology) 1
Worked on research and analysis of fantasy football message boards for a semester (Fall 2014) with Professor Kissane. The project analyzed themes of conversations on message boards.
Athletic Department Gold Honor Roll 3
Awarded to student-athletes who have received a 3.80 GPA or higher during a semester. Have obtained it 5 out of 7 possible semesters.
Athletic Department Silver Honor Roll 1
Awarded to student-athletes who have received a 3.50-3.79 GPA during a semester. Have obtained it 2 out of 7 possible semesters.

Campus Service/Activities and Awards – Total Years Involved

Alumni Association Student Volunteer Service Award 1
Recognizes a current student for outstanding and consistent service to others, on and off campus (Fall 2014).
Lafayette Leadership Education Committee 2
Serve with selected students, administrators, and faculty to plan various student leadership educational opportunities, including the Lafayette Leadership Institute, an annual symposium intended to introduce lessons on leadership to underclassmen. As Student Leadership Intern during the 2014-2015 school year, I prepared and hosted the 2015 conference.
Athletic Peer Mentor 3
Guide and assist assigned freshman student-athletes via weekly meetings throughout their first year of college life and intercollegiate athletics, by advising them about available resources, assisting with study, reading, exam taking, and time management skills, and providing general advice. Provide workshops for freshman athletes and weekly reports to coaches.
Gateway Ambassador 3
Represent the Office of the Gateway Career Center with outside employers and alumni and act as a liaison between staff and students for the Gateway program, a four-year career development program designed to guide students throughout their college experience.
Alumni Relations Council 3
Act as a liaison among alumni, staff, and the student body by working with departments like the Annual Fund. Coordinated the student component of the annual Lafayette-Lehigh Giving Challenge that generated a total of over 1,000 student gifts to the college in three years.
Alcohol and Other Drugs Standing Committee 2
Work with Dean of Students, faculty, and administrators to implement and assess strategies, programs, and policies specifically aimed at reducing high-risk drinking among Lafayette students.
Class of 2015 Commencement Gift Committee 1
Educate classmates about the importance of alumni giving and involvement while soliciting gifts for the Senior Class Gift Fund.
Lafayette College Sports Medicine Training Room 1
Clean tables, put away equipment, and assist injured student athletes as a volunteer.
Sports Marketing Club 3
Promote various school sports by sponsoring and organizing events at specified games. Was Treasurer for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years.

Community Service – Total Years Involved

American Health Care Professionals 1
Volunteered as a technician taking pulses, blood oxygen levels, blood pressures, and blood sugar levels two days a week for three weeks at retirement communities with largely non-English speakers.
Miracle League of Northampton County 2
Helped children with disabilities during short baseball games on days when they did not conflict with my own and set up a day for the entire Lafayette College baseball team to volunteer.
Community service with the Lafayette College Baseball Team 4
Day-long projects consisting of reorganizing a library in Easton, participating in a 5K run benefitting a foundation for Crohn’s disease and colitis, helping families in Queens, NY clean up debris following Hurricane Sandy, and putting on two soccer clinics for Northampton County Special Olympics.
Hayfield Secondary School 4
Volunteer baseball coach for the high school’s team, provided numerous individual lessons at no charge over each winter and summer interim period throughout college.

Athletics Activity/Award – Total Years Involved

Lafayette College Baseball Team 4
Four-year member, two-year letter winner, two-year captain.
Lafayette College Maroon Club Scholar-Athlete of the Year 1
Presented annually by the alumni group to one male and one female student-athlete who display exemplary skills in the classroom and on the competition field (Fall 2014).
Patriot League Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year 1
Each year the Patriot League selects the top scholar-athlete from each of the 24 League-sponsored sports. To be eligible for selection, an athlete must be at least a sophomore, be a starter or key reserve in a varsity sport, and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher (Spring 2014).
Academic All-Patriot League Team 1
Selected to 12-man team voted on by Patriot League Sports Information Directors (Spring 2014).
First Team All-Patriot League 1
Selected to team chosen by Patriot League head coaches as a relief pitcher (Spring 2014).
Harold “Moose” Hageman ’39 Award 1
Awarded to Lafayette’s most valuable pitcher (Spring 2014).
James F. Bryant ’40 Excellence Award 1
Awarded annually to a junior who demonstrates high academic achievement, letters in a varsity sport, and shows noticeable and noteworthy evidence of community service (Spring 2014).
Oaks Leadership Academy 3
Participant in three-year program designed to develop, challenge, and support selected student-athletes in their quest to become effective leaders in academics, athletics, and life. Also, chosen as an Oaks Leadership Academy Leader of Distinction (Fall 2014).
Patriot League Academic Honor Roll 3
Awarded to varsity athletes who have a GPA of at least 3.20 during their NCAA-recognized season, have obtained the recognition for all three of my seasons.
Tom Walter College Baseball Inspiration Award Finalist 1
Recognized by CollegeBaseballInsider.com, which covers Division I baseball, as a finalist for the award that recognizes examples of inspiration in college baseball (Spring 2013).
Senior CLASS Award Finalist 1
One of thirty college baseball players chosen as finalists for the award that honors the attributes of NCAA Division I senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition (Spring 2015).

Special Interest – Total Years Involved

NCAA Leadership Forum 1
One of two student-athletes from the school chosen to attend the conference on enhancing personal awareness and leadership skills (Fall 2013).
National Sports Medicine Institute 1
Shadowed orthopedic surgeons for a week in and out of the operating room (January 2014).
MedStar Washington Hospital Center 1
Shadowed a cardiologist for a week in and out of the operating room (January 2014).
Medical University of South Carolina 1
Shadowed a transplant surgeon for a week in and out of the operating room (January 2013).
Summer Collegiate Baseball 3
Played for the DC Grays in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League during the summer of 2012 and for the Lehigh Valley Catz in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League during the summers of 2013 and 2014.
The Headfirst Companies
The Headfirst Companies’ Fellowship Program participant, will work full-time for the Washington, D.C. company following graduation.