By THOMAS DONLEY

donley2@illinois.edu

CHAMPAIGN - The life of a college student-athlete is often consumed by sports and classwork with little time for other pursuits. Ali Morallos, however, isn't one to limit herself.

The Fighting Illini junior, in addition to being a key contributor to the women's golf team and majoring in International Business Management with a minor in Political Science, serves as the Women's Golf Representative and Community Outreach Chair on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Vice President of Marketing for the Illinois Sports Business Conference and is a member of the UIUC Philippine Student Association.

"I definitely live off my google calendar," Morallos said of balancing her busy schedule. "But it's making sure I prioritize the right things and I have a lot of good communication between all the people I'm working with whether that would be the people I'm meeting with in terms of athletics, academics, coaches, but also my other classmates for group projects, my teammates and my other organizations that I'm in on campus. It's a lot of communication and a lot of scheduling beforehand."

While keeping up with extracurriculars, the native of Long Beach, California, has competed in 29 of Illinois' 32 tournaments during her career. Being a part of the team has been an overwhelmingly positive component of her college experience.

"I think there's been so much growth and learning experiences, especially playing this game of golf which is known to be such an individual sport but learning how to take it from a team perspective," Morallos said. "I think it's been a lot of growth and very beneficial, and the things I learned from my experience here will definitely translate into a lot of the other projects I will encounter when I leave the college atmosphere."

After college, Morallos intends to attend law school, with plans to take the LSAT in July. This summer, she will be interning in Washington, D.C., with Representative Rodney Davis of Illinois' 13^th district. While details of her day-to-day responsibilities remain unclear, Morallos will be fulfilling a dream of working in government that stems from her experience in a leadership ambassador program in D.C. as a fifth grader.

The leadership experience Morallos has gained at Illinois is not limited to the golf course. Along with teammate Tristyn Nowlin, she represents women's golf on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, where she has a voice on NCAA legislation and athletic department events such as the Oskee Awards.

"It means a lot to be able to represent the program and all of the student-athletes," Morallos said. "It's really a lot of responsibility because some of the decisions you make in SAAC directly affect the rest of your teammates and their well-being and what their future will look like in their college career, so it means a lot to have this position and opportunity and responsibility to be a voice for them as well, so I've really enjoyed it so far and look to be on the SAAC committee for one last time next year."

Morallos also serves as the VP of Marketing for the Illinois Sports Business Conference, overseeing a team of 8-10 people creating social media content and disseminating information about the conference. In the past, she has been responsible for finding speakers for the conference's marketing, media, and politics in sports panels, and has the opportunity to return as president in 2020-21.

As if her schedule were not full enough, Morallos is also a member of the Philippine Student Association, where she has made many lasting connections.

"It's similar in ways to a fraternity or sorority in that we have families," she said. "So I have a whole 'lineage' in front of me but also underneath me so it's like a mentorship program and you really become a family. Throughout the year they hold a lot of cultural events where you get to learn about the Filipino culture."

Morallos' ability to manage her time has left an impression on those around her.

"Ali's organizational skills are remarkable and one of her greatest assets," Illini head coach Renee Slone said. " Her teammates often look to her for guidance in scheduling/planning.  Sometimes student-athletes can feel as though they are put in a box and limited in their opportunities to be involved in other organizations.  The key is determining what they are most passionate about and prioritizing." 

During a normal semester, Morallos says she is busy from 5:30 a.m. until midnight, with only breaks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So how does someone go from such a jam-packed daily schedule to the current COVID-19-induced stay-at-home order?

"It is kind of weird," Morallos said. "My schedule is sort of still concrete with my classes in that there's one or two that I still have live sessions on. It's still a little weird because I have a two-hour time difference, but it forces me to still wake early and I try to at least do schoolwork for that specific class when I would've had that class in person anyways. But it's still been a transition in that I have more time to work on other things and responsibilities but also help around the house. So I think it's been okay so far."