March 24, 2016
By Jerome Boettcher | Subscribe to Commodore Nation
When Mallory Schonk gets togetherwith Patricia the pair often goesbowling, catches a movie orgrabs lunch.
But even when they’re not able to meet up,Patricia makes sure to call her buddyâ€â€her BestBuddyâ€â€and update her on her life. Patricia, 36,lives in Nashville and met Schonk through theVanderbilt chapter of Best Buddies, a non-profitorganization that pairs volunteers with peoplewith intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Patricia can’t read or write and has a speechimpediment. But her love of sports and gift ofgab connects her with Schonk, who is a seniorcaptain on the Vanderbilt lacrosse team and findstime once or twice a month to visit with Patricia.
“The relationship we’ve built has been reallybeneficial for both of us,” she said. “She loveshaving someone to talk to and give updateson her life. That is nice for her to have me asan outlet. Then, in the same sense, for me, myschedule will be so crazy and all over the placethat it is kind of nice to take a step back and realizethat I am so lucky I have all these things goingon. There are some people who don’t have theopportunity to go to a great school like Vanderbiltand get to play Division I lacrosse. She kind ofhelps me keep things in perspective.”
Schonk was matched with Patricia three yearsago. Patricia is a fan of all sportsâ€â€flag football,soccer, even bocce ball. But her favorite is swimming.She swims at the Centennial Sportsplexwith the Nashville Dolphins, a club team forchildren and adults with intellectual disabilities.Schonk was on hand when Patricia and theDolphins held a joint meet with the Vanderbiltwomen’s swimming team.
“She is awesome,” Schonk said. “She is sofun loving. She loves playing sports and talkingabout sports. We definitely have that in common.She is a good time.”
The time with Patricia has also reassuredSchonk about her career goals. She is an interdisciplinarystudies major with a focus in cognitiveand linguistic development. She is currentlyapplying for graduate schools for speech pathology,including Vanderbilt’s Master of Scienceprogram in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP).
Spending a couple summers at a speechtherapy clinic, Schonk has enjoyed helpingchildren with autism develop friendly socialskills. She sees a potential career in working withautistic children.
“It was a great experience for me. I’m not 100percent sure (if that is the tract she wants totake) but I’m keeping it on my radar,” she said.”I think (her experiences and Best Buddies) hasjust reassured that I want to pursue a careerwhere I will feel fulfilled and I’m actually makingan impact. Speech therapy is something whereyou can often see those results. I’ve never hadthe desire to be sitting behind a desk. It is anoutlet that I can feel like I’m making an impacton other people.”
Schonk and her older brother, Peter, wereraised to be well rounded growing up in PerryHall, Md. Along with playing lacrosse, soccer,basketball and swimming, she also picked up thesaxophone and took guitar lessons.
An exemplary student, she has been named tothe SEC Academic Honor Roll all three years andearned a 4.0 GPA in the 2014 fall semester.
Schonk thrives to meet every academic challengethrown at her. That’s why in eighth gradeshe cringed when she got a B in art class.
“It really was a dagger to my heart,” she said,laughing now. “I could have gone to lunch withmy principal if I hadn’t gotten that B.”
In addition to theacademics and athleticselements, she putsfocus on service inthe community. Workingwith Special Olympics whileshe was in high school opened her eyesto a potential career in special education. Shevolunteers in the chapel at the Monroe Carell Jr.Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt once a week.Last December, she jumped at the opportunityto join 12 other Vanderbilt student-athletes totravel to Costa Rica for a week with Soles4Soulsand donate shoes to underprivileged children.
This ambition, Schonk says, stems from valuesher parents, Edward and Teresa, injected.
“I think they really did instill in me trying newthings and not being afraid to put yourself outthere,” she said. “They were always supportingus. But, in the same sense, they didn’t want tobaby us or coddle us. In the college world, thathas really served me well that I’m not afraid toput myself out there and go for things otherwiseI might have been afraid to try.”
