Shawnee Pickney

Despite often feeling like she has only 24 hours in a day to do 30 hours of work, Shawnee Pickney, CC'01, wouldn't want it any other way.

"I'm a perfectionist," she says. "I prefer to always be working."

A captain on the women's basketball team this year, a volunteer tutor with America Reads, and one of only several undergraduates enrolled in a joint-degree MPA program through Columbia College and the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Pickney thrives on personal determination.

"I'm the first person in my family to go to college," she says. "That gives me a lot of inspiration. When I get tired, when I question why I'm here, when things get rough...I realize I'm not just here for me. I'm here for my mom, my grandmother, for the kids I tutored when I was in high school."

That sense of purpose has helped Pickney stay focused this semester while taking four of six classes at the graduate level. Participation in SIPA's joint-degree MPA program will enable her to earn a master's in public administration only one year after completing her undergraduate degree.

As the youngest student enrolled in most of her courses at SIPA, Pickney was quick to shake off any intimidation she felt and soon established a presence among classmates. After observing the environment for only a few days, she decided, "I belong here. I have something to contribute."

Her experience playing basketball has proven academically beneficial as well. Just like playing on a team, she says, "everything is group based at SIPA. You have to learn to work with other people. You learn there's always gonna be push and pull."

Tenacious work under the boards has made Pickney Columbia's fourth all-time rebounder.

The Southern California native approaches basketball the same way she approaches her academic pursuits: "I like to run and gun," she says. Her aggressive style of play often forces opposing coaches to double or triple-team her on defense. "I don't mind it," says Pickney. "It forces me to work on my all-around game."

This was evidenced during her first year when it was well known that Pickney had trouble driving the lane off her left side. To conquer the weakness, she practiced relentlessly and soon came to actually prefer dribbling with her left hand.

That sort of progressive attitude makes the six-foot forward a natural leader, a position she has officially assumed this year as one of four team captains. She is anxious to help "mobilize the troops" and "act as a catalyst," especially for the new players. Pickney is confident about the Lions' prospects in the Ivy League and sees positive signs. "The one thing about our team is we're developing chemistry a lot earlier this year," she says. "The league is wide open. We'll definitely be in the thick of things."

Pickney learned many of her moves under the tutelage of Coach Julie Rousseau at Washington High School in Los Angeles, but she's quick to point out that they "weren't just basketball, but life skills as well." Rousseau, now an assistant for the women's team at Stanford who served as interim coach for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks in their 1999 season, always has something positive to offer, says Pickney. "I still talk to her all the time. She's a mentor and a close friend."

Now a senior, Pickney's three previous years of play, including a spot on the All-Ivy rookie team and All-Ivy honorable mentions in her sophomore and junior years, have put her in elite company. She was the team's leading scorer and rebounder for the 1999-2000 season. Presently eighth in all-time scoring for the Lions, and fourth in rebounding, those numbers will climb even higher by the end of the season. But her attention is on winning games rather than carving a spot in the record books. "I just want to have fun," she says. "Everything else will take care of itself."

Growing up in a single-parent household, Pickney learned early on to be as constructive as possible with her spare time. Because of this, the College senior doesn't worry about expectations. She knows well what her goals are.

As part of her year-long senior seminar, Pickney, an urban studies major, is researching methods for incorporating student portfolios with standardized testing so students can be evaluated by more than one criterion. Pickney will most likely begin her career as a teacher, but aspires to write education policy and hopes to someday become superintendent of schools for the city of Los Angeles.

Arriving at Columbia not knowing anyone in this city of eight million, Pickney came for the same reasons that so many others do: "I wanted a change of scenery. I wanted to see how other people live." Her goals also fit perfectly into the Ivy environment. "I wanted to go to an institution where academics were a priority, but where I could also play Division I ball."

She quickly felt welcome in New York. Upon meeting the women's basketball team, Pickney was encouraged to find "they were open and really unselfish. They seemed sincere." She also found comfort in several advisors and administrators who promised they would look out for her. It helped assure her of the decision to attend school 3,000 miles from home. "I knew I would have a solid base to help me through," she says.

The fast-paced lifestyle of New York is a great fit for Pickney, who seems perfectly content living in a city that doesn't sleep, but she has no intention of staying in the Big Apple for good. "Eventually I'm going home to L.A.," she says. "That's a given." Of course, the return can wait a little while. To her liking, there is still much work to be done.