Seton Hill University Athletics

Kaufman to Play in Ireland as a Class of 2019 Victory Scholar

Recently graduated women's basketball player Jenna Kaufman has earned a once in a lifetime experience as she has been named a Class of 2019 Victory Scholar in part with the Sports Changes Life Foundation.
 
It is a one year program in which Kaufman will be going to Ulster University in Northern Ireland to earn a Masters Degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology.  While at the university, Jenna will be playing basketball for the university's team as well as the UU Elks Club team in addition to being a coach and mentor for young basketball players in the area.
 
"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to continue to play basketball and to continue my education while immersing myself in a new culture," said Kaufman. "This is just another door that basketball has opened for me, which I'm so grateful for. I'm also really looking forward to working with the youth of Ireland as a coach and mentor to show them the positive impact basketball has had on my life, and will hopefully have on theirs."
 
Head coach Mark Katarski added, "Jenna unequivocally earned this opportunity from her extraordinary efforts both on and off the court. This is a great reminder to all athletes as to the amazing places your sport can take you. It is also a great example of the opportunities that being a student-athlete at Seton Hill University can make possible."
 
Kaufman is the first Seton Hill University women's basketball player to exhaust their eligibility and continue playing overseas and she is the second player Katarski has  coached to participate in the program, joining former Niagara University player Meghan McGuinness
 
Designed in partnership with the charity's founding university partner Ulster University, the Victory Scholar Program brings hope to young people in local communities through alternative forms of education in teamwork, sport and confidence delivered by the prestigious group of American student-athletes, who will also pursue postgraduate degrees during their time here.  This year's class of 34 Victory Scholars have been carefully selected to work in our community outreach programs such as EHOOPS and Honor Roll program.
 
In eleven years together with founding partners Ulster University and Chaka Travel the Victory family of 134 student-athletes will have earned a Post Graduate Masters degree and helped raise the aspirations of young people on the Island of Ireland all while continuing to play the sport that they love by the end of the 2019 academic year.
 
The Victory Scholars Program consists of student-athletes who have excelled in their academics and sport, primarily basketball and in recent years golf, in American Universities during their undergraduate studies.  Through a rigorous selection process, these future leaders progress to study in our partnering Universities and Higher Education Institutes for postgraduate Master degrees across the Island of Ireland while putting their extensive knowledge of their sport, team building, and mentorship into practice in our communities across the island.  The Victory Scholars legacy has helped strengthen the level of basketball being played at a grassroots level and continues to leave a lasting impact in continuing to build relationships which help provide a vital outlet for confidence building and, in many cases, mentoring young people toward their own future victory.