This is part of #EberlyDoesSports, a series from the IUP Eberly College of Business and Information Technology that focuses on business majors who play team sports, club sports, or are involved in sports at a community or individual level.
This feature focuses on Justina Mascaro, a junior at IUP who is studying finance and economics. Justina is an outstanding student and member of the Crimson Hawks Women's Basketball team on campus.
Justina grew up only a little over an hour away from Indiana in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. During her childhood, she was never a fan of sports. That is, until she tried out basketball in the fourth grade and realized she loved it. Justina credits basketball for many of the values that she has learned throughout the years. "Basketball has taught me the value of a good work ethic and teamwork. These skills have transferred over to my academic life."
Justina also credits her dad and an influential book that he urged her to read as major contributors to her core values of being "Hungry, Humble, and Smart." She learned this from the book The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni.
"I believe these are the keys to a successful organization and team," said Justina. "Hungry means that you are constantly looking for more work and don't shy away from more responsibility. Humble means that you define success through the collective efforts and share credit among team members. Smart means that you possess emotional intelligence and have a sense how to handle the group's dynamic." When Justina first recited this to her team, coach McConnell absolutely loved it, making it the team's motto for the year.
Justina was familiar with IUP; however, she did not visit campus until her sophomore year of college. She initially began her college career at the University of Delaware. "Coach McConnell reached out to me when I made the decision to transfer to IUP. During my visit, I went to a home game, and the energy in the gym was electric. I knew I wanted to be a part of that."
After an excellent touring experience, Justina felt ready to fulfill her desire to be closer to home and have a more balanced academic and athletics lifestyle.
Justina immediately felt IUP could be a home for her, stating, "IUP athletics is super competitive, and the coaching staff made me feel like a part of a family as soon as I visited. I felt not only I could grow as an athlete but also a professional." Justina became the starting 2-guard for the Women's Basketball team. Her role is to help the point guard bring the ball up the court and contribute offensively.
Highlights of Justina's basketball career at IUP include:
- Season record of 28-3
- Broke the record of consecutive games won with a 19-game winning streak. The old record was 16 games and back in 1999-2000.
- Team was #1 in the Atlantic Region going into the NCAA tournament.
- Team was PSAC West Regular Season Champs.
- Justina was voted to first-team all-conference.
- Justina had her first career double0-double against Shippensburg with 32 points and 11 rebounds (career high in rebounds and points)
- She led the team in scoring with 14.2 ppg
- She was the PSAC West Player of the Week twice
- She was PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week
When asked about her relationship between Eberly and the basketball team, Justina stated, "The professors in Eberly have been very understanding of my demanding schedule as an athlete, and I am appreciative of their willingness to work with me on balancing my assignments/class time with my commitment to my sport."
Justina is also a member of the Business Honors program in Eberly. "The Eberly College of Business offers many professional opportunities to network and enhance my knowledge and technical skills. IUP has a moderately large student body which could leave students in classrooms with many unfamiliar faces, especially transfer students. Through my team, participation in the business honors cohort, and my time spent in the Bloomberg lab in Eberly as a finance student, I was quickly able to form relationships with my peers."
Justina hopes to one day work alongside her brothers and dad at Mascaro Construction, their family-owned business. She is confident that she is well-prepared to enter the workforce. Her time as an IUP student and athlete has equipped her with the professional, personal, and technical skills that she needs.
Written by Tyler Vicari
About #EberlyDoesSports
The #EberlyDoesSports series focuses on business majors who play team sports, club sports, or who are involved in sports at a community or individual level.
Associate Dean Cyndy Strittmatter is overseeing the project. "We are proud of our students who balance their academics with extracurricular activities and recognize the commitment that it takes to excel at all levels. We look forward to sharing their accomplishments with the IUP community and beyond! While this series focuses on athletes, there will be other special series that recognize the broad range of interests and activities of our business students," said Strittmatter.