Saint Joseph's women's soccer standouts Ana Sulentic and Kayla Flanders are being honored for their work ethic and effort being put into their major of chemical biology at the University. 
 
Sulentic, a senior midfielder/defender, always had an interest in chemical biology thanks to her parents' occupations, which is why she decided to major in the field. 
 
"My mom is a researcher and professor. My dad's a physician." Sulentic said, "So I kind of knew I wanted to go into that field."
 
Flanders, a defender for the Hawks, always liked biology and chemistry and thought that the two subjects complement each other well. The science program drew her to Saint Joseph's as well since she applied to be a McNulty Scholar, a University scholarship awarded to women in science.
 
"I had a lot of interviews here. I've done research from St. Joe's and different labs." Flanders said, "So I realized that if I was a science major, I would come to St. Joe's and have a really good opportunity to join a lab, which was something I really wanted to do."
 
Being both student-athletes and STEM majors is not an easy task that the two have taken on. Time management is a skill they have put to use both in the classroom and on the field.
 
"During the season, I really took advantage of any free time I had. If we're on the bus, I would use that time to get things done," Sulentic said. "Also, having other teammates that are in similar majors always helped because we motivated each other."
 
Flanders learned that playing soccer and running experiments share a lot of the same similarities, one of them being that in order to put in the best work, pacing yourself is the most important. 
 
"Some of the experiments that I run will take up to four hours. So, knowing how to take care of yourself is very important. In a soccer game, it's 90 minutes and I have to pace myself," Flanders said. "I've also learned to multitask a lot. So while I'm running an experiment, I will be studying or trying to rewrite my notes."
 
Sulentic is being awarded with the University's Chemical Biology Award for her hard work as a chemical biology major. She finds herself in the lab more often than not running experiments. 
 
"This year, I was doing research in a lab at school. So really, if I wasn't in class, or at practice in the fall then I would be in the lab." Sulentic said. 
 
One of just four Saint Joseph's students to apply for the Goldwater Scholarship, Flanders didn't find out she earned the prestigious honor the traditional way, but rather  while she was at an American Chemical Society national conference.
 
"Dr. Reynolds sent a blast email to professors and included me on the email chain. I remember it saying, 'congratulations, Kayla got the Goldwater award' and at that point, I hadn't even really woken up. I remember wondering, is this true? I was really excited," Flanders said.
 
One of the most prestigious awards for STEM majors nationally, Goldwater Scholarship will allow Flanders the opportunity to research labs and continue her STEM education at Saint Joseph's. 

Sulentic will graduate this Saturday, May 21, as part of the University's Commencement Ceremony, while Flanders, a rising senior, will return for her fourth year as a member of the Hawks' women's soccer team in the fall.