Caltech's Theresa (Teri) Juarez is the face of college athletics—at least in the current issue of NCAA's Champion Magazine. The junior mechanical engineering major and basketball and volleyball player graces the cover of the winter issue. The magazine highlights Juarez's accomplishments on the court and in the classroom, even featuring a photo gallery of her around campus and JPL.
"There's going to be a moment when everybody in the country will be looking at one of our student athletes," says Sandra Marbut, head coach of the women's basketball team. Hard copies of the magazine, which is distributed to more than 1,000 NCAA institutions nationwide, came out this week. At least one friend from another school has already called Juarez to let her know that her face was spotted in the library.
Juarez notes that making the cover story is an honor not just for her but for the entire team and the athletics department. "It's great because it continues to validate that our kids are many things," Marbut says. "Yes, they're brilliant, but they're also athletes, musicians—so many things."
Indeed, Juarez is a Gates Millennium Scholar, worked at JPL last summer, contributed to the book Thermodynamics for Dummies, and plans to pursue a PhD after she graduates. But she's also an accomplished two-sport athlete. Last year, she averaged eight rebounds and more than nine points per game as a starting forward on the basketball team. While those statistics are laudable, Marbut says Juarez's biggest contributions are the intangibles—the hustle plays that aren't always obvious but are crucial for her team's success. "We don't play very well without Teri," admits Marbut.
Juarez, who lives in Fleming House, is also working with Caltech admissions in diversity recruitment. A Latina from El Paso, Texas, she grew up not knowing of Caltech. It wasn't until she participated in the Youth Engineering and Science Scholars (YESS) program—which she found from an Internet search—that she learned what Caltech was about. The three-week, on-campus program is, as Juarez calls it, "a super crash course" in science and engineering for exceptional, underrepresented high-school students.
Juarez says she wants to reach out to underrepresented minorities and other students who otherwise might never consider going to Caltech. "A lot of students would love this institution," she explains. She visits her high school to spread the word every time she goes back home, and recently she's started to help recruit students from the Los Angeles area. She's even vice president of CLASES, the Caltech Latino Association of Student Engineers and Scientists.
"Teri represents a very unique part of campus," Marbut says. "There aren't a lot of Latino women [at Caltech] from places like El Paso. It's not a place where college is a given." Citing Juarez's "amazing attitude," humbleness, and work ethic, her coach offers plenty of admiration. "I want to be like Teri when I grow up," says Marbut.
Cheer on the women's basketball team as they face Cal Lutheran tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Braun Gym.
Written by Marcus Woo