James Madison University Athletics

JMU scholarship student-athletes have the privilege to experience JMU through the lens of sport, while still pursuing your academic endeavors. And, as a student-athlete who has been awarded a scholarship, JMU donors have provided our Dukes the opportunity to enjoy their experience as a student-athlete. We want to celebrate our scholarship student-athletes and the donors who have supported them. 

Enjoy a view into the scholarship student-athlete experience. 
 

• From first learning they were going to be receiving a scholarship...
• To participating as a member on a JMU Athletics team...
• To having the opportunity to pursue their academic experience as a student-athlete!

  

Name:Alexandre D'Aurelle de Paladines

Sport: Golf

Year in School: Senior

Major: Finance major with a concentration in Risk Management and Minor in Business Analytics

Hometown: Paris, France

What is your dream job once you complete your studies at JMU?
My dream job is to be a professional golfer.

What extracurricular activities are you involved in at JMU? And, what is your role in each of the organizations? 
I am a tutor for the Student Athletes Services and I am also an assistant at the Capital Market Lab in Hartman Hall.

When did you find out that you would be receiving a student-athlete scholarship?
When I signed my commitment to play for JMU in 11th grade.

What has it meant to you to be a recipient of a student-athlete scholarship?
It was for me the only chance to be able to play college golf being from Europe, parents are not preparing a specific fund for their kids to go to college, and it is not the norm to have a very large student debt.

If you had the opportunity to meet the donors who provided the funds to support your scholarship, what would you want to say to them?
I would thank them for the opportunity they give to players like me who are full of potential but are not necessarily in the right setting to shine where they are from.

What has been your favorite part of being a JMU student-athlete?
The fact that we are representing the school everywhere we go, in everything we do, we are part of the people that show the JMU logo throughout the country and our high level makes other schools how important JMU is.

What motivates you to give it your all in your sport and in the classroom?
I would like to be good enough at my sport to make a living out of it, but I am also conscious that success in sports is only for the very best. To avoid having too much pressure thinking that I would not have anything in life if not golf, I want to excel in school. In addition, I love learning, it’s necessary to have the ability to solve problems when playing a sport, it develops creativity and allows me to understand the game better.

What do you love most about your team and JMU Athletics?
My teammates. Throughout the years, they are the ones that have made the experience what it is. They are the ones I lived all these moments with, and we are linked to JMU, but on top of it all, we are linked to each other through the memories we have made with each other.

Do you have a favorite moment from your experience as a student-athlete? If so, please share!
The best moments would be defined to me as the ones that made be feel the highest level of emotions. Winning with the team is definitely up there but also simply going through the grind all together and pushing each other is the best thing we have.

Do you have any competition/game day traditions or superstitions?
I am the one wearing funny socks when playing. I grew up having of the gentleman wearing a very classic suit and a plain colorful pair of socks. I brought that idea to the golf game, with respect to the sport and the image of JMU, I want to be classy with a sprinkle of spice when playing tournaments.

Who is your mentor and, what is the best advice you've received from your mentor?
I don’t have one specific person that I would describe as my mentor. I believe that I can learn something from anyone and that following this process can only create a good person. I have a few examples, Walker Cress, former Captain my freshman year at JMU, an example at every level besides school, Nacho Montero, Captain of the team my Sophomore year, an example of performance and school excellence, my dad who has the most artistic and creative mind I have ever seen in one’s body. He s also the person who brings me down to Earth regarding feelings, he helps me identify emotions and act accordingly.

What advice do you give to other JMU student-athletes to help encourage them during their journey at JMU?
Enjoy the process as a whole. The trick is to base our happiness of being part of the process and avoid falling in the negative spiral of having our mood perfectly linked with our athletic performance. We are not in control of so much of it that it is unfair to ourselves to base our mood on results. Have fun grinding, it will help you bring consistency into your decisions, so indirectly in your results. Make it look simple to yourself, if we are ready to do something easy, it will feel easy during the execution, whatever the outcome is.

Learn more about the Duke Club and how you can make your impact on the JMU student-athlete experience at JMUDukeClub.com/ProudAndTrue.