AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn gymnast Adeline Sabados was named the female recipient of the Fall 2022 PNC Achievers Award last month. The award is given out to student-athletes based on their well-rounded achievement through leadership, academic success, community engagement and in competition.
Sabados arrived at Auburn in 2019 and immediately made an impact, competing on bars in every meet as a freshman. She was also a WGCA Scholastic All-American and named to the First-Year SEC Academic Team Honor Roll that first year.
Since then, Sabados has continued to embody what it means to be a student-athlete. She's continued to thrive as a gymnast and in school while also taking on more responsibilities with Auburn's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). This year, her senior year, she's serving as the President of SAAC.
Here is Sabados, in her own words, talking about the PNC Achiever Award and what goes into being a well-rounded student-athlete at Auburn.
What does it mean to be a PNC achiever?
Sabados: It's an honor. I think it's a great accomplishment that the program has founded itself on, and I think it's a testament to the program that we're more than just student-athletes. We are trying to develop as adults and humans and people versus just a student-athlete. We have a great set of resources here that develop us. I think it's great that we have this award, and I'm honored to be a recipient of it.
What are some of the things you do away from gymnastics?
Sabados: One of them is called the Women's Leadership Institute. It's a group of a few girls, leaders around campus, and we just put our heads together, put resources together to make it a better place. That and SAAC are my main ones.
Tell me more about SAAC and your role as President this year.
Sabados: SAAC is designed to be the voice of the student-athlete. It's a national organization in many schools. Each program organizes it a little differently. We do two reps from each sport regardless of how big your sport is, so everyone has an equal say. We have four subcommittees – Wellness, Community Engagement, Equity and Inclusion and Marketing. We work with administration. We work closely with compliance. We just work to be the voice of the student-athlete. We voice issues we might see around. We try to make the student-athlete experience the best it can be.
What is the definition of a student-athlete? What all goes into it?
Sabados: I think it's in the name. You are on a competitive team while working toward your education. I get that question a lot. How do you handle it all? My answer is always the same. I've been doing this my whole life. It's all I've known. I think gymnastics breeds overachievers because the sport itself is a little crazy. You've got to be a little crazy in the head to do it. I was in the gym 32 hours a week (in high school). Here, you're allocating that time a little differently. You're still going from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's just what you're doing is a little bit different. I think time management is super important. You learn yourself what you need to do. The coaches are incredible here. They know you're a student before you're an athlete, and you're a person before you're a student. Just making time for yourself, allocating time. This is just what we know. It's all we do. But it's a great platform to have.
What is your why? Where does your motivation come from?
Sabados: I think it's doing something that's bigger than myself. Whether that's in SAAC trying to develop other leaders or making Auburn better for the next student-athlete. In gymnastics, it's just self-improvement. I can get a little better every single day, and I can push the limit just a little bit more. Failure is inevitable, but it's how you get better. I know that's super cliché, but with gymnastics, it's so true. We strive for perfection, but it's not attainable. It's just that sense that I can always be a little better, and I think that will carry throughout my life and my career.
What is your major and what do you want to do with it?
Sabados: I'm a biomedical science major with a concentration in pre-PA, and I also have a minor in philanthropy and non-profit studies. With my major, I applied to PA school. I'm going to the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. That's a two-and-a-half-year program. It's one year of didactic, then you get into clinicals, and then you're a practicing PA after you pass the boards. It's a really great field. I'm super excited. Hopefully I can work in the hospital scene, maybe ER, to use the skills I learned in gymnastics like the pressure, the chaos. It's calming versus chaotic for me, so I think I can utilize those skills and save some lives. As for my minor, I just have a heart for community service. I went to Haiti on a mission trip, and that's what sparked my interest in helping others. Giving back is my true passion. Medicine does that in some sense, but I also wanted to have a background in philanthropy to hopefully spread my reach a little further than just medicine.
What does the Auburn Family mean to you?
Sabados: My answer is always the same. It's just such a supportive atmosphere full of love and full of kindness. Whether you win or lose, they're still going to love you and that's what a family is. And that's what the Auburn Family is. When I fell right on my butt on floor, they still cheered for me. That's the Auburn Family. It doesn't matter what you do. They love you for you, and I think that's incredible.