Stony Brook University alumna, Greta Strenger, spent her college career juggling her time between two worlds, that of an athlete and that of an academic.

Her day started at sunrise.

First, came volleyball. There was at least an hour of stretching and heat applications to nurse her minor back injury followed by three hours of sweat and determination on a scuff-marked court. At the end, there was an hour of weight lifting before the morning was completed with another session of heating and icing her injury.

Now came the second part of her day. Switching active wear for casual wear, it was time for the volleyball player to transition into the arts and sciences student. Instead of juggling a ball, she juggled two classes, co-presidency in the student athlete advisory committee and a job with the assistant dean of students.

And that was a typical day in Greta Strenger’s senior year. She was the captain on her Division I women’s volleyball team and a full-time student, involved in several extracurriculars.

“There was eating somewhere in there,” Strenger said, thinking back to her 2011-12 year.

However, it was not as funny back then. Strenger said she had a difficult time adjusting to college. She recalled feeling “stuck in a bubble” during her first few years at Stony Brook.

While Division I volleyball games were much more difficult than high school varsity, she said the mental game was the most challenging aspect. The Minnesotan struggled with pressures and identity issues.

“There’s, like, NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] rules and regulations, Strenger said. “You have your coach, athletic trainer, strength and conditioning coach, administrators and academic advisors. All these people who are tracking your life, which is awesome and they’re great support systems, but sometimes it can get confusing. It’s hard to be a Division I athlete.”

She said the confusing part was trying to figure out how to have experiences that were separate from her sport. It was not until Strenger joined programs outside of volleyball that she began feeling more confident in her life’s direction.

She started working with the Ellen Driscoll, Assistant Dean of Students, through an NCAA “Choices” grant to spread alcohol awareness. Through that experience, Strenger got involved with the student advisory athletic committee and started a peer mentor program with Driscoll. The program involved pairing underclassmen with upperclassmen in the athletic department.

These experiences made the 25-year-old well suited for her job today.

Strenger has been the coordinator of the department’s new life skills program since August 2015. Student-athletes can come to her office with issues they are having in school, sports or social life. Strenger then tries to match the student with an upperclassman from a different sport. This helps the student find direction as well as friends outside of his or her team.

Life skills is part of the five-year strategic plan called “Together We Transform." The plan helps student-athletes prepare for the work place after dedicating countless hours on fields and courts. They can seek advice on building resumes, finding internships and connecting with other student-help organizations on campus.

“Life skills is perfect because it allows us to focus on something more than just time or the stats,” said former life skills intern and senior track runner Raven Dorsey. "It propels us forward past just being at Stony Brook.”

Strenger works closely with program overseer Courtney Rickard, Associate Director of Athletics Student-Athlete Development and Life Skills, hosting events that introduce more athletes to life skills.

Rickard joked that she needed eight hours to mention all of the qualities she loves about her colleague and friend when asked what makes Strenger a good fit for the job.

“In a professional career, not everybody feels that they’re placed on this earth to do this,” Rickard said. “She’s placed on this earth to do this.”

Perhaps it is Strenger's passion for making a difference in sudents' lives that makes her the perfect person for life skills.

“We want to positively transform the lives of each student-athlete,” Strenger said. “As a former student-athlete, I’m, like, ‘That is so awesome.”