Mary Genrich: The Successful Transition From Student Athlete to Full-Time Employee

“I have to admit, like there was some noise, like I knew what time practice was and I would just go sit there and watch and it absolutely killed me and made me upset, but there was really nothing I could do about it. I went to all the games wishing like I was still part of it and still part of the team. But I don't know. It's like something really clicked for me and it was hard because, I still see the team, and go do team things too. I like missed being a part of the team.”

-Mary Genrich, Duquesne University former student-athlete class of 2024

Mary Genrich came in as a walk-on for the Duquesne University women’s soccer team who had been released from the team during her junior year of college while going for her major in Sports Information and Media and a Business Certificate.

“Honestly, the best decision coach (Al Alvine) ever made for me was releasing me from the team,” Genrich elaborated about her being released. “If he had never done that, I would have never gotten the opportunity to intern with the Pittsburgh Pirates. If I was still on the team, I wouldn't even apply. I would care about soccer and nothing else. But that was honestly the internship of a lifetime.”

Her new vision came from a switch that was sparked during her freshman year as Genrich was originally an Environmental Science major and struggled in her online classes during COVID.

“A lot of the science classes I was taking were completely online. I didn't fail, but I did not as great as I am capable of. So I got a mentor who is the dean of the science school, and he encouraged me that I one of the problems I was having is I wasn't playing soccer.”

Assistant Dean at the School of Science and Engineering Dr. Phillip Palmer was Genrich’s mentor, giving her encouragement to give soccer another chance after not getting a scholarship and an opportunity to play during her freshman year.

He noticed that she was “doing a lot of maturing” in such a short time while taking classes in a major that he was able to tell quickly that she was not interested in pursuing further.

Palmer even considered her to change majors which she credits to “helping find her passion” thinking back on how she found success in her current field even going as far as to say she had a “big part of her life was missing” without soccer in it.

“And I think she didn't really quite realize how important until she was no longer a part of, you know, that group,” Phillip said. “And so, you know, having that opportunity to play and be a part of that group and even, again, changing majors to kind of see more of her personality and skills, she did like a complete 180.”

Genrich would give soccer another chance after talking with coach Alvine and walk on for the team but not record any playing time with her year on the team.

When she got cut Genrich considered transferring to other colleges in looking for a fresh start but ultimately came back due to “Duquesne’s academics putting her in the best place to succeed.”

“She was talking about the portal at that time which was kind of a new and new thing in terms of seeing if, you know, maybe she could even go somewhere else” Palmer stated about Genrich possibly transferring. “But I thought certainly you look at this point, you look at all of those avenues, because she wasn't going to be happy unless she gave it another shot.”

Sticking to her academics and trying out new activities led to a change in her life such as Duquesne Student Television, Sports Marketing Association and Women in Sporting Events taking leadership positions in all three clubs.

Through this newfound time, she even started what she would call “her addiction” taking photographs at sporting events and starting up her brand Mary Genrich Visuals amassing 700 followers on Instagram.

Starting up work in photography let her do what she loved all the while she was able to fill the void that she had from not being a student athlete anymore.

“I honestly think being an athlete helped me develop an eye for taking pictures on, especially when the first time you got for a camera,” Genrich stated on taking photos for the first time. “It was during soccer season, so like I knew when like a good moment where to take a shot or where like the next pass is going to be.

“Like, I could almost read the game, which would help me take pictures. And I think that helped me boost my confidence a little bit, seeing that I could take pretty decent pictures right off the bat, without any training or anything, not knowing anything about a camera, just to know it. Like, I feel like I kind of developed a natural eye from it, from just being an athlete and playing all these different kinds of sports.”

She constantly credits coach Alvine for releasing her so she could find her passion and even get further in her career as she picked up an internship with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“I go up in the control room looking at the pretty PNC Park view of all the buildings and this beautiful green field and I was actually really happy,” Genrich recalled a specific moment with the Pirates. “I was like, I'm so happy I'm here right now. Like, I couldn't be in any better place. Like, I'm glad I'm here doing this and not there doing that.

“The greatest opportunity I had. It made me feel like everything happens for a reason. Like, if that ever happened, I would have never had this. It felt like Kyle all my hard work for like, the past year of, like, getting involved and picking up a camera and really putting a lot of time into that stuff felt like it paid off and that I had made all the right decisions that I could have possibly made.”