SVEN ALSKOG
STAFF WRITER
In the age of technology, where we can turn on the television and watch NCAA student athletes competing at a high level, the student aspect of the equation can sometimes be forgotten. At Idaho State University, an increased emphasis has been placed on academics within the athletic program in recent years.
One of the results of this increased emphasis is evident on the football team, with multiple student athletes who have already completed their undergraduate degrees and are continuing forward as graduate students.
Due to the redshirt rule in the NCAA that allows a school to essentially sit a particular athlete out for a year, numerous players on ISU’s team are now able to continue forward this season as fifth-year seniors for athletic eligibility purposes.
Among the ISU graduates taking over the turf of Holt Arena this season is defensive lineman Kimo Makaula, who now holds an undergraduate degree in organizational communication and will pursue a post-graduate degree in physical education. For the transfer student from the University of Washington, his choice of undergraduate degree was a no-brainer.
“I chose the communications route because I wanted to become a great public speaker and also be able to communicate better with others,” said Makaula.
With a road game at the University of Washington on Sept. 21, the ISU defensive end had the opportunity to square off with his former team.
“Traveling back to Seattle was a great experience for me, especially [after] transferring from there a couple years before,” said Makaula. “It was great to play in front of a lot of family and friends and also a great opportunity to play a great team at the Division I-A level.”
Fellow Bengal and Seattle area transplant Jake Pele is another one of the ISU graduate student athletes. The linebacker and native of Auburn, Washington has earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology, while for graduate school he is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.
“I wanted to make the best decision to help benefit my career in the long run,” said Pele. “I ended up deciding that pursuing my MBA would be more beneficial for my career aspirations (law enforcement).”
The inherent workload that comes for all of the ISU football players pursuing their graduate degrees can be overwhelming, but with the help of the athletic department and their individual major programs it can be made possible.
“All of the people in the Athletic Administration office are great,” said Pele. “From Nancy Graziano, Matt Steuart, to Liz Johnson. They give great advice and help you make decisions based on what you are pursuing down the road in life. They support you tremendously. I have a great relationship with all of them.”
Much of the other motivation to challenge one’s self so much academically and athletically relies on each individual student athlete’s work ethic.
“Being a student athlete is not easy and the way I do it is I just wake up every day and tell myself to make the most out of today and worry about tomorrow the next day,” said Makaula. “I just try to take it one day at a time.”
For Pele, the story is more of the same.
“It has never been easy. I believe it is truly a full time job. It just came down to when it was time to do school work, it was time to focus on that. As an athlete you have to find that balance of football and school,” said the Bengal linebacker.
Pele made sure to give credit to his parents for giving him the discipline that he needed in order to successfully balance school and athletics.
While participating in youth football, if any of his grades dropped below a B- then he would not participate in the game that week. Athletes can have their athletic skills for a certain period of time, but when it comes down to it, the majority of participants will need a strong academic background at some point in their life. This allows them to be qualified for the ever-changing job market, something that Pele’s parents stressed to him from an early age.
While the dream to continue playing in a professional football league such as the NFL or CFL exists for some collegiate athletes, those that earn their degrees and continue their education as far as possible have the obvious advantage when the time comes to move past their athletic pursuits.
At ISU, academics are being put first for the student athletes, resulting in a perfect Academic Progress Rate (APR) score for the football team and multiple academic all-conference participants across all sports.
With success stories such as Pele and Makaula, the model student athlete has been created for future Bengals to follow.
