Contact: Elliott Carr, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

Feb. 13, 2017- The captaincy of the North Central College women's basketball team. Acceptance to graduate school at Governors State University (Masters of Science in Accounting). Acceptance of a job at top 30 accounting firm Sikich once she has her graduate degree. Social media accounts? Not so much for senior women's basketball player Paula Zerante. 

While it may be a cliché, one actually is capable of accomplishing anything if they are willing to show an immense level of commitment,  and there is no better example of this than the Chicago Heights, Illinois, native.

Within two years of choosing accounting as a major, Zerante interned at the Chicago Board of Trade. Originally planning on working a different job altogether, a position opened up at the last second. After going for an interview at 6 a.m., she was able to watch a day of trading happening on the floor, gaining an early insight into the complex world of futures and options exchange. Her experience as a runner and a trade check for the Trion Group opened her eyes to the realities of the "adult" world.

"Needing to be accountable and trying to push yourself to move up" she said of life in the professional world. "I don't like to be stationary for too long. One of the reasons I like Sikich is they're giving me more opportunities to move up than other firms."

Zerante plans on using the lessons she learned at the Board of Trade when she begins at Sikich. Noticing her work ethic, her bosses would reward her by teaching her new skills on the floor. It was here that she truly learned about the work place and professionalism, while also discovering just how passionate she is about accounting.

Given her academic and career success, it's easy to assume that Zerante has had all of this planned well in advance. Surprisingly, this is not the case, as choosing accounting as a major was a shocking move to those closest to her. After going down the list of majors on the North Central website, she wrote down everything that seemed interesting, and by the end accounting was the only thing she wrote down. After further discussing the major with her professors, her interest in the field grew and she knew she had made the right decision. Despite her optimism, after telling her mom Karen and other family members of her choice she was met with shock, and to this day Karen jokes with her if she's sure that's what she wants to do.

Her understanding of economics was undoubtly enhanced by her level of campus involvement at North Central. Zerante is a first-year mentor, a member of orientation staff, on the student accounting societies board, a member of the finance committee, and is a comptroller, where she funds 70 student workers.

Zerante is also starting a photography club with teammates, showing her leadership and positive influence extends beyond just the court.

She credits her experience as a comptroller for honing her financial expertise.

"Without comptroller, nothing else would have happened" she said. "I wouldn't have gotten the board of trade internship, and I wouldn't have been so competitive at Sikich."

As a comptroller, Zerante regularly speaks with people without the same knowledge of finances as she does. She informs others of what their books are showing, and explains this to them in a way that would help them to correct them in future years. Given the significant number of student workers she oversees and the complexities of budgets, she acts a bridge between them and the finance committee.
 
Zerante's career on the court, including a NCAA Division III National Tournament appearance in 2015, has followed a similar trajectory to her life away from basketball. Playing nine minutes per game her freshman year, through hard work, a blue-collar attitude and understanding her strengths of her game, she gradually increased her playing time each season, culminating in being named as a team captain prior to the start of this current season. It's common to see Zerante out-hustling taller opponents for a rebound, diving for a loose ball or finishing a three-point play through heavy contact. She is toughness and grit personified, and sets an example all of her teammates would be wise to follow.

"I learned to understand the system more and what my role on the team would be," she said. "If they needed someone to rebound, I'd tell myself when I got in the game I needed to get every rebound possible. One game, they might need someone to hustle and play defense and I'd try to do that.  Try to be the player my team needed, understanding your role in things. That works outside of sports too."

The 12 freshmen on the team could not ask for a better leader and mentor both on and off the court than Zerante, especially because of her relatability given the variety of roles she has had to play throughout her career.

Knowing what it's like to be one of the last players off the bench, Zerante's role has become teaching the underclassmen that three years from now, they'll thank their freshman selves for getting extra shots up, running over the summer and completing what's in their off-season workout packet.

"It's important to care a little more than the next person" she expressed. "I want to be a good role model on and off the court, they have such bright futures and we have so many talented players. My biggest goal is to help them grow."

Given all of her endeavors and the level of commitment she puts into them, Zerante has no time for social media, making her a rarity among millennials. Other than having a Facebook account for a few months her senior year of High School (which she deactivated because she did not check often), social media has had no presence in her life. This is often a humorous point among her teammates.

"My team like to joke about it, especially the seniors who I'm so close with" she explained. "Anita sometimes will joke with me about taking her phone and looking at it, I think about it every now and then, but I don't need it right now."

While she may joke about her social media illiteracy, her economic smarts are no laughing matter. She wasn't allowed to own a phone until she was a freshman in High School, and shared one with Karen until she was a sophomore. Zerante also never had an iPhone until she could pay for one, so it makes perfect sense she understands the value of a dollar and has thrived in the world of finance.

The principles she has used to succeed are not just applicable on and off the court to the twelve freshman she calls teammates, but also to anyone looking to prosper in any aspect of their life.

"Be open to everything," she explains. "I've done a lot of things at North Central that aren't directly related to my career or my future, but they've still helped me grow and learn. I took things from them and put them into my daily interactions. I know my route is different from that of others, but don't be afraid of the hard work and don't be afraid to ask what more you can do when taking a job. Put in extra time, if you're going into a specific trade you have to learn, you have to put in the time to learn it properly."

You can catch Zerante and the Cardinals (11-11, 5-8) in action next when they host Carroll University (1-20, 1-12) at 7:00 p.m. at Gregory Arena on Wednesday night. Live stats and video can be found here.