Jennifer Nayudu

Classroom

A Dean’s List student in each of her nine semesters, Nayudu became the ninth student-athlete in school history to earn ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American honors as she was named to the second team in 2010. She has been a member of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference Commissioner’s honor roll, as well as being a National Scholar Athlete in each of her three years. In 2009 and 2010, she served as the softball team’s representative on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Nayudu maintains a 3.81 GPA as a double major in economics and business administration. She is an active member in campus honors societies, including the Delta Epsilon Iota Honor Society and Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honors Society. In 2009-10, she was named the Economics Department Micro Economist of the Year. Nayudu also participates in the Finance Society, Economics Society and the National Society of Collegiate Honors while serving as an academic tutor in economics, finance and accounting. Following her graduation from LMU this coming May, Nayudu plans to get her MBA through a joint program that combines industrial organization economics with finance. Her ultimate goal is to pursue a career in asset/risk management at a financial institution or to work at a finance and economics consulting firm.

Character

In her junior season, Nayudu forced her way into the starting lineup and became one of LMU’s most valuable hitters, earning the LMU Female Most Improved Athlete of the Year award for 2009-2010. Now a senior, Nayudu’s positive attitude and encouragement of others, even with her emergence as a top player, has been recognized by her teammates, who voted her a team captain. Off the field, she’s constantly seeking ways to help others and to follow the LMU mission of the encouragement of learning, education of the whole person, the service of faith and promotion of justice. By volunteering at softball clinics, with elementary school beautification projects, and beach clean ups, Nayudu devotes her time to others on a personal level. She is also one of three student-athletes who have been chosen to speak to LMU’s Board of Regents in the spring of 2011. “Jen never wants to meet the established goals, she strives to exceed those goals and drives her friends and associates to do the same,” coach Gary Ferrin said. “I have no doubt that Jennifer will be a leader and innovator in whatever her future chosen fields are.”

Community

Nayudu is an active member in the LMU community as well as her hometown of Carlsbad, Calif. At LMU, she served as the softball team’s representative on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, where she offers input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect the student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses. She has helped to organize SAAC’s community-service initiatives, which include a canned food drive at Halloween, a Christmas toy collection and a shoe drive in January and February. Her efforts with the shoe drive have helped LMU donate more than 8,000 pairs of shoes to Zappos in the last two years. On campus, Nayudu serves as an academic tutor in economics, finance, and accounting, and is a member of the Senior Gift Committee. She has also participated in local beach clean ups and volunteered at soup kitchens, as well as helping with the beautification efforts at nearby Kentwood Elementary School, in which she planted trees and flowers around the campus. In the summers, Nayudu returns to Carlsbad, where she volunteers at youth softball clinics.

Competition

Nayudu had a break-out year in 2010, earning first-team All-Pacific Coast Softball Conference Coastal Division honors. A career .233 hitter entering last year, Nayudu batted .345 her junior season. She added eight doubles, one home run, nine RBI and 19 runs scored as LMU’s ninth-hole hitter. She hit .361 during conference play and tied for the team lead with four three-hit games.