It would have been natural for Zoya Pavlovskaya, a 6 foot 5 athlete from St. Petersburg Russia, to pursue a professional basketball career after high school. Her mother, Maria earned a master of sport for her achievements in rowing and her grandparents, Valentina and Vladimir Fomichev, participated in the World University Games in the 1960s, each earning a master of sport award for basketball.
But Pavlovskaya had dreams of furthering her education and throwing herself into a new cultural environment. "Coming to the U.S. for college seemed like a great way to play basketball and study an array of courses while being exposed to a new culture and language," she says of her dream. That bold spirit has served Pavlovskaya well at Saint Joseph's.
A participant in the Summer Scholars program, Pavlovskaya presented her paper on the marketing techniques used by major sports brands such as Nike, Adidas and Reebok at the 12th Cross-Cultural Conference in Hawaii. She has also traveled abroad to participate in service trips. A mentor to younger basketball players, Pavlovskaya worked every summer as an instructor at clinics in the greater Philadelphia area. As for her plans after graduation, she plans to pursue her graduate degree and has accepted a position with Sports International Group (SIG), an organization that manages the careers of primarily professional female basketball players.
Contact: Carolyn Steigleman, Office of University Communications, 610-660-1355, csteigle@sju.edu.