Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Breanna Saukas Deemed C-USA Winter Spirit of Service Winner
4/5/2017 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
BOCA RATON, Fla. -
Florida Atlantic University swimmer Breanna Saukas received the Conference USA (C-USA) Winter Spirit of Service Award for her dedication and commitment to academics, athletics and bettering the community as announced by the conference Wednesday.
Saukas currently serves as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President and has planned, coordinated, and participated in numerous community service events this year. She was one of many student-athletes that took part in the 2nd and 7 Foundation Reading Week at Verde Elementary School and volunteered at the annual A.D. Henderson Elementary School Field Day. She also spearheaded the canned good collection for the SAAC Hunger Food Drive and has collected donations and delivered gifts to "The Giving Tree". For the One Shirt One Body campaign, Suakas collected t-shirts and other clothing items, and she has volunteered for the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
"I think that giving back to the community is really important," said Suakas. "It makes the experience of being a student-athlete even better because it is a lot more rewarding. The community always tries to support our student-athletes, so it is important for us to give back in any way that we can."
As part of FAU athletics' ongoing mission to raise awareness for and prevent relationship violence and abuse, Saukas was trained as a facilitator for the One Love Foundation and organized the "Escalation Workshop" for her fellow SAAC members. Most recently, Saukas was a volunteer for the FAU Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Walk that served as a time to acknowledge the ways in which suicide and mental illness have affected participants' lives and their loved ones. Earlier this year, she helped with setup and breakdown for the FAU 5K Run for Autism.
Her achievements have poured over into the classroom as well. Saukas is a five-time member of the FAU All-Academic Team after achieving a 3.0 grade point average or above each semester since Spring 2014. She was a C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll member in Spring 2016 and was named to the Dean's List in Spring 2015.
"I personally like having a really full schedule," continued Saukas. "During the semester, it is stressful at times, especially when finals are coming up, but now that I look back it was worth it. I always try and tell people to get involved, especially my younger teammates now that I'm leaving. I tell them to make the most out of their experience here and giving back is a big part of it. It just makes it more rewarding."
In the pool, Saukas continued to see success this season. At this year's C-USA Championships, she placed 21st in the 100-yard butterfly (1:01.98). She also set a lifetime best time of 25.27 in the 50-yard freestyle time trials at conference. During the regular season, her top finishes included the following: fifth in the 100 fly (1:04.90) and seventh in the 100-yard backstroke (1:07.18) versus FIU; seventh in the 200-yard backstroke (2:30.70) against IRSC; seventh in the 200 fly versus Florida (2:19.64); and eighth in the 50 free (26.67) against Old Dominion.
In the little spare time she has left, Saukas works as an office assistant at the FAU Office of Student Accessibility Services, which works to accommodate students with disabilities.
"Their office is centered around accommodating students with disabilities. They talk to professors and determine reasonable accommodations for students. Most of the students I work with have severe disabilities and are in wheelchairs or have loss of motor function. I go to class with them and take notes and help them in those ways," said Saukas.
The Toronto native will graduate in May 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. Saukas just accepted a graduate assistant position at South Carolina in athletic academic advising and will start in August 2017.
"I think that my experiences with my academic advisors over the past few years have really encouraged me to get involved," said Suakas. "I have seen myself grow so much just because of their help and guidance, so I think that really made me want to pursue that field. I want to make the same impression on other student-athletes."
Despite her upcoming departure from Boca Raton, Saukas said she wouldn't trade her experience at FAU for anything.
"Being from Toronto, I didn't know anyone when I came here," said Suakas. "I was really scared that I wouldn't make friends and I wasn't going to enjoy it here, but it was the complete opposite. Some of the people that I met I wouldn't have without being a student-athlete or getting involved throughout campus. It has also helped me figure out what I want to do after I graduate. It's a scary world out there, but I feel better prepared to take it on."
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