National Collegiate Gymnastics Association

The goal of the program is to build a pipeline of ethnically diverse students interested in pursuing a career in coaching and/or administration in Division III athletics. It began in 2015 at the recommendation of the NCAA Division III Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, the Division III governance staff and the NCAA Office of Inclusion.

“My career goal is to work for the Olympics,” says Palladino, an Ursinus gymnast and Coatesville resident who is majoring in applied economics with a concentration in finance and accounting. “This program will elevate me and help me realize that goal and I’m excited to have been selected.”

The 2018 Student Immersion Program will be held Jan. 17-20 in conjunction with the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind.

For Palladino, her inclusion in this select national program comes as a result of excellence in the classroom, in the Ursinus community and in the gym. She’s an Ursinus College Ambassador—whose members are charged with enacting positive change in the community—and is active in Greek life. She says she’s always seeking to improve her leadership abilities.

“Ursinus has opened up my eyes to many new experiences and as a result, I’ve been able to be part of many different clubs and leadership organizations in addition to athletics,” she says.

Her proudest moments at Ursinus, she says, have come as a gymnast

“It has to be making All-American during my freshman year,” she says, reflecting on her gymnastics career. “The following year, I was almost national champion on the beam, but I finished second. The goal as a team has always been to become national champions, and individually make All-American on the beam once again.”

It would be a fitting end to Palladino’s Ursinus career.