When almost 2,000 undergraduate seniors participate in Commencement on the National Mall Sunday they will leave behind their years at GW, but many will not be forgotten. The Hatchet spoke with faculty, staff and students to find 10 seniors who have made a lasting impression during their undergraduate years.

Growing up in Bluebell, Pa., Alyssa Greco knew that if she wanted to watch TV with her older brothers, she would have to develop an interest in basketball. So she did.

But despite her love for the game, Greco couldn’t make the cut for her competitive high school team. At 5 feet 6 inches tall with an athletic build, she opted instead for lacrosse and volleyball, but still found time to be basketball team manager.

So when Greco packed up her bags and moved to D.C. to pursue an undergraduate degree in business at GW, she had no intention of leaving her game behind.

As a freshman, Greco started working as an assistant manager to the GW men’s basketball team. By her junior year she moved up to head manager, a position that earned her a $10,000 scholarship. But for Greco, money isn’t the attraction.

“My life (has) revolved around basketball more than basketball has revolved around my life,” Greco said about being a manager, which required her to travel with the team, attend practices before 6 a.m. and work more than 40 hours a week.

Greco sacrificed more than just sleep – like most of her Alpha Epsilon Phi semi-formals, for example – to be a true team player. Still, Greco says that being around the sport and the athletes has helped her grow as a person.

“I’ve learned to just go with it,” Greco said about her outlook on life. “Basketball has given me a lot of confidence.”

The dedication eventually paid off and Greco was one of 160 job seekers invited to attend an exclusive NBA team job fair.

After 11 interviews and 9 offers, Greco decided to take a position with the Indiana Pacers selling group tickets – a job that she says should put her in the right career path to become a team manager.