STEPHANIE COMPTON; Sports Editor: comptose@plu.edu
At the University of Washington dental school, only 18 percent of all applicants get an interview. Senior Megan Abdo not only got an interview, but was accepted on the first day UW was allowed to offer her a spot.
This kind of high achievement is nothing new for Abdo; she is not only a great student, but athlete as well. Abdo is a senior guard on Pacific Lutheran University Women’s Basketball team. On the court, Abdo has played in every game in every season in all four of her years at PLU. There was only one game her first year that she did not start. She also led the team in minutes played during both the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 season. Abdo was team captain for the 2015-2016 Lutes and amassed 51 assists on the season.
Abdo’s role on the team has changed significantly each season, Abdo said, “My first two years my main focus was to set up the offense and distribute the ball because we had some really good scorers on the team. Through my last two years I had to step into more of a scoring role so I had to change my mindset and style of play on the court in order to get more shots up.”
Abdo scored 76 more points her senior year than she did her first-year, a big shift towards scoring. Although Abdo made a shift towards scoring, her assists average remained constant.
With high intensity and focus on the court, Abdo had to shift her mindset when applying to dental school.
“The application process was definitely a long and stressful one. I had to wait about 8 weeks to hear from any of the schools I applied to,” she said. “Overall it was a lot of sitting and waiting and anticipation over whether I would hear from my top schools or not.”
Abdo didn’t always want to be a dentist even though she grew up with one as her dad. During a 3-on-3 tournament her senior year in high school, Abdo got a tooth knocked out and needed a dental procedure, “this is what really got me interested in the field.”
The next four years are sealed for Abdo and dental school starts in July. As for her plans until dental school, “…that leaves a few months for me to enjoy some outdoor activities like hiking, swimming and backpacking and just enjoying the freedom of no school before I dive into the next chapter of my life.”
