Student Athlete Spotlight: Larissa James-LaBranche

DuBOIS, Pa - Athletes have sacrificed the opportunity to participate in their sport, yet they’ve remained dedicated to their training and to their academic success. Penn State DuBois student-athletes are no different and have continued to work overtime to achieve their goals amid COVID restrictions.

Larissa James-LaBranche.
Credit: Penn State

Larissa, of Warrenton West Virginia, is seeking degrees in both business and psychology. She is a graduate of Kettle Run High School where she built skills on the softball field that she has brought to Penn State DuBois, where serves as a catcher and plays third base.
Larissa plans to go on to earn a masters degree in business or data analytics and pursue careers in corresponding fields. She said she chose to attend Penn State DuBois because of the opportunity to excel academically with small class sizes, while playing softball at a competitive level.  She said being an athlete as added to her educational experience in many ways.

“It has taught me teamwork and how to work through adversity head-on. It also shows me that hard work and doing your best is the most satisfying way to achieve your goals,”

Larissa said of participating in her sport. “It has helped me enrich my life through enduring close losses that motivate me to do better and translating that to just coming up short in life after giving my all. It has also taught me the value of winning and the humbleness that follows when the hard work has paid off. There is so much more that softball has taught me but the growth and development I have experienced has shaped me into a better person that I do not take for granted.”

For more news and information on Penn State DuBois Athletics, visit https://psuduboisathletics.com.