MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho's student-athletes, Maddie Timm and EJ Neal, have been named the Vandal Academic Services Student-Athletes of the Month supported by P1FCU.
Timm is a senior on the women's swimming and diving team pursuing a major in film and television studies. The Mesa, Arizona native has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her collegiate career while managing injury, swim, and school. She also works as an intern for Vandal Athletics in the creative media department.
"Maddie is an incredible student-athlete and always holds herself to a high standard," said Dani Hippe. "She has been a pleasure to work with while she's been here and she has a bright future ahead."
Timm is appreciative for her time at the university and how it has helped to prepare her for her career. "My experience with Idaho Athletics has been extremely helpful toward furthering my education to prepare for the future and excelling in the pool," said Timm.
"When it comes to my education and future career, Idaho Athletics has allowed me to be a part of multiple jobs within the department. These jobs have expanded my resume and helped me gain knowledge and creative craftsmanship in my field of study; for which I am forever grateful. As for swimming, after facing various injuries, the athletic training staff has assisted day-in and day-out to my quick return to the pool. I have always felt well taken care of by those assigned to my sport and like I am a part of something bigger than just being an athlete."
As for the future, Timm intends on continuing to exercise her creativity. "I plan to utilize my film and television degree to start my career right out of college. As I finish working on my short film, writing new scripts, and filming/taking photos for athletics, I plan to send my portfolio to employers and do something that I love!"
Neal is a junior on the men's basketball team. He is a transfer student hailing from San Francisco, California studying organizational science and communications. Boasting a 3.82 GPA, he is known as an extremely hard worker.
"EJ has been a great addition to our student-athletes this academic year," said Thad Hathaway. "He works very hard in the classroom and is involved in the community. He regularly meets with area elementary students to talk about building healthy life habits and the benefits of attending college."
Neal feels that his time at Idaho has equipped him with everything he needs to achieve success both on and off the court. "The transition to Idaho has been a great one. With the multitude of different resources we have here at U of I it has really made the transition a seamless one for me to be successful with my academics," said Neal. "Also, the transition to Moscow has been fun as I have felt a very warm welcome and sense of belonging with my teammates on the basketball team and with other athletes on campus as well."
Looking ahead, Neal hopes to remain involved in sports. "What I plan to do with my communications degree is to go into the sports broadcasting field, as a color commentator, play by play, or insider," explained Neal. "I have some experience with the ESPN+ crew here at U of I and enjoyed my experience with them so far commentating Vandal games."
P1FCU is proud to partner with the Idaho Vandals and support the financial literacy education of our students through various programs. Learn more at p1fcu.com/govandals.
