April 13, 2009

She is a world traveler and a jet setter. She is also a scholar-athlete and a tennis player. Balancing all things at once can be a daunting task, but senior Ashley Globerman did just that when spent her junior year studying abroad only to return to the tennis courts as the Bison’s 2009 team captain.

With a host of international programs available, studying abroad is a common activity for Bucknell students, scholar-athletes included. Globerman took full advantage of her opportunities, studying in Belgium for the fall 2007 semester, then traveling to China with a business and trade program the following spring. A business major and French and psychology minor, Globerman saw Belgium as the perfect venue to quench her thirst for traveling and stay on track to graduate in 2009.

“Belgium has two official languages, one is Dutch and one is French, so I got to practice French,” Globerman said. “It’s actually one of the best schools in Brussels. I went there and got some of my business requirements taken care of as well.”

A university in Brussels was not always at the top of her list, however.

“When I was first looking at places to study, Belgium was not my first choice, but I’m so happy I did it because it really opened my eyes,” she explained. “I never thought about Brussels before I went. It’s the capital of the European Union and a lot of headquarters are there. It was really a cultural experience for me.”

Her experiences in the fall did not stop with classroom instruction in Belgium, however. Among some of her most memorable opportunities during that time, Globerman says, was having the opportunity to see the rest of Western Europe.

“The location of Belgium itself is such a great launching pad to travel everywhere else. There wasn’t a destination that was more than two hours away by plane. I spent maybe two weekends in Belgium. Every weekend I was going somewhere else.

“We went all throughout Belgium, and then we went to Luxembourg, the neighboring countries, the Netherlands,” Globerman said of the extra trips she took with friends she met in the exchange program. “The remaining two months, my friends and I traveled to Italy, Paris, Prague, London, Vienna, everywhere.”

Despite being back in Lewisburg full time, Globerman, who was the only Bucknell representative in the program, still stays in touch with those friends. The connection she made with her fellow American students in Europe remains a highlight of her tour.

“I think a lot of female athletes can say they’re different from the female population in a way. I feel like I never had close girlfriends just because I was always playing sports, so this was just great to (make) the best friends.”

Globerman’s cultural experiences continued into the spring 2008 semester. She began the term in Washington, D.C., attending classes and interning with a bank in financial services as part of a business program. The stateside portion of the program complete, Globerman traveled to China with the student group.

“I followed an international business and trade program, so the point of going to China was to meet business leaders because obviously China is such an emerging country and presence in this world,” Globerman explained of her second experience abroad. “We got to, not only do cultural activities, but we also got to see how to do business in China, which was an extraordinary experience. I still can’t even believe that I went to China.”

Studying overseas was something Globerman had been looking forward to since enrolling at Bucknell. Her love of traveling developed at a young age with an exchange program to Japan when she was 10 years old, and the New York native could hardly wait until her junior year for a repeat experience.

The endeavor was not without its risks and challenges, however. Undertaking a year abroad meant Globerman would be away from Bucknell’s tennis courts, putting her chances of rejoining the team for a final year in jeopardy.

“I realize the risk of studying abroad for a year and not being able to come back on the tennis team, but at the time I felt that it was something I really needed to do,” Globerman said. “I came back completely refreshed with a whole new perspective on tennis, for the better, too.”

Even with a new perspective, Globerman needed to readjust to everyday life at Bucknell, a difficult task made easier by the support of her teammates.

“Coming back here this year I felt like I had graduated already because I was on my own for a year, finding things to do for myself,” Globerman recalled. “It was, honestly, a really hard switch to come back, be back on a Division I team and have your days planned out for you. The first semester was a really tough adjustment, to be completely honest.

“It’s so positive the way I’ve come back and was welcomed with open arms like nothing had changed on the team,” she continued. “They are my rock because a lot of friendship dynamics have changed with my friends at school (outside of tennis), but my team has always been there for me.”

Her transition back to the highly structured regimen of Division I athletics at Bucknell proved to be a smooth one. Globerman finished the fall portion of the tennis season with a combined record of 12-5. Her seven singles victories was one shy of the team lead, trailing only Lauren Lucido and doubles partner Dara Dwojewski. She and Dwojewski paired up for each of their seven doubles contests, posting a 5-2 record in tournament play.

The success on the courts continued into the spring season, something made that much sweeter by the fact that the Bison were finally at full strength with their entire roster back in the United States. Juniors Carlin Calcaterra and Tania Varela each did a stint studying abroad in the fall of 2008, leaving gaps in the Bison’s lineup.

Bucknell opened its spring season taking team victories in seven of its first 10 matches, including a 4-3 win over Duquesne. The Orange and Blue were thankful to have Globerman back on the court in Pittsburgh that day as their senior co-captain clinched the win in a come-from-behind performance that Globerman ranks as her top tennis memory.

“We hadn’t done that (beat Duquesne) in any of my years on this team, and I think that is an awesome signal for Patriot League competitors,” said Globerman of the team’s win. “The match came down to me. It was 3-3 and I was down 4-1 in the third set and won. That was such a sweet victory. And I think also as a team, the girls fought so hard. If you look at the scores, everybody was just grinding it out.”

The team of 13 now has its sights set on a Patriot League Championship. Bucknell, which is hosting the 2009 women’s tournament April 24-26, has advanced to four consecutive tournament finals only to be knocked out by Army each time. Having been a part of two of those teams, Globerman sees 2009 as the Bison’s break-through year.

“I know that we can do it this year. A lot of the other years it’s been not as believable as it is this year,” she said. “I think we have so much depth on this team and so much talent and, unlike my other years on the team, I feel like each girl wants it so bad. They’re willing to put in that extra hour, extra how many hours on the court, on the court.”

With the close of her playing days on the horizon, Globerman is looking toward her future off the court, applying for jobs and trying to decide on the location of her next travel adventure.

“I want to have time to travel, perhaps travel with my job,” said Globerman who is most interest in investor relations and other business-related fields but is feeling the pinch caused by the struggling economy. “(Work) isn’t giving me a lot of choices right now with what I can do, which is actually good too. I’ve been looking at other things. I’ve been looking at environmental jobs, jobs outside the realm of asset management like marketing.”

While she says she “fell in love” with Washington, D.C., last year, Globerman has been looking to try her hand at jobs around the globe as well.

“I’ve been applying as far as Hong Kong and everywhere,” she said. “I feel like I’m a creative person. I like to interact with people, so I’m trying to merge that together.”

Although her destination is unclear, Globerman knows that wherever she ends up after graduation, much of her success to date is due to Bucknell and the support she has received while at the University. In addition to its proximity to her hometown of New City, N.Y., and its academic reputation, Globerman originally chose Bucknell for its strong alumni base.

“The alumni connection I was told was really strong, which was one of the leading factors in why I came here. As a senior, and especially in a recession, I’m starting to realize how strong that connection is despite these hard times,” Globerman said. “I’ve been reaching out and people are still connecting back, which I think is great and proves, whoever told me on my tour that day that the alumni connections are strong, it’s true. I’m grateful for that.”

The support she and her teammates have received in order to remain on the court cannot be overlooked either, says Globerman, especially as tennis is not one of Bucknell’s scholarship sports.

“The entire team really appreciates the support that the donors and alumni give us because, without them, I don’t think our program would be as strong as it is. I don’t know if that gets out to them enough that we’re so grateful for them. Obviously, we don’t have scholarships, so we want to thank them.”

Globerman has created much of her own success at Bucknell, venturing to foreign countries, securing a pair of internships to build her resume and putting in countless hours on the tennis court. Even with her relentless work ethic, the senior is obviously quick to give credit to those who have helped her along the way. All together, those qualities go to show that she has covered a lot of ground and made the most of her opportunities in her nearly four years at Bucknell. It is less clear, however, exactly where she will end up. For Ashley Globerman, the journey is half the fun.

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