While senior diver Dan Mazzaferro had to avoid making a splash in the pool to become a nine-time All-American, a finalist at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Diving Trials and a two-time SEC Player of the Year honoree, he performed the equivalent of a cannonball when he stepped away from the water.
A member of the College Swimming Coaches Association Scholar All-America Team from 2007-09, Mazzaferro was one of only six student-athletes from the NCAA's three divisions to be selected as a finalist for the 2011 Walter Byers Scholarship, which is annually awarded to one male and one female student-athlete who exhibit outstanding academic achievement and the potential for success in postgraduate study.
"Being within those six finalists is a great honor on its own," Mazzaferro said. "I know that the level of competition throughout the whole country is at an unprecedented high."
Named in recognition of the contributions made by former NCAA executive director Walter Byers, the postgraduate scholarship is intended to recognize student-athletes who have combined the best elements of mind and body to achieve national distinction for their achievements and show the potential to be future leaders in their chosen field.
The NCAA is expected to announce the two Byers Scholars soon.
Mazzaferro, who already earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry in May 2010, said he felt honored the committee saw the potential in him for a great future.
He said he has big plans and expects to earn a Master of Business Administration degree in December.
But before Mazzaferro walks across the stage to receive his M.B.A., he will travel in May to Prague for an internship, where he'll rotate for seven weeks between three medical clinics to get a better understanding of the business aspect of the health care industry in the Czech Republic.
Mazzaferro said he'll then return to Auburn in June to work at the East Alabama Medical Center to get a better understanding of the U.S. health care system,
"In the end, I really want to work on a project and write a paper comparing the two health care systems," he said.
After earning a M.B.A., Mazzaferro said he wants to travel abroad before going to medical school.
"Beyond this, I want to contribute both locally and afar for global outreach in terms of medical prevention," he said. "There's tens of millions of people who are without basic medical needs throughout the world."
Last summer, Mazzaferro extended his reach, traveled to Africa with the program Unite For Sight.
He said he worked with six others for 10 days in remote areas of Ghana, where he helped screen a 1,000 patients' eyes and even treated patients who were almost blind from cataracts.
"This is a specific need that millions of people don't have in the world, whether it's dentistry, whether it's eye care or if it's just basic medical needs" he said. "But it's not just in Africa, it's not just in India, it's not just in third-world countries: it's also in our local communities.
"Here in Alabama, there are thousands of people that do not have basic medical needs."
Mazzaferro said he feels blessed with all of the resources and help he's gotten and would like to give back to others, whether it's through working with Doctors Without Borders or by starting his own nonprofit.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
