Mia McCarthy

SAAS Staff

What was your background and experience leading up to you working at UNLV?

I’m actually from New York. For college, I was a cheerleader, and I decided that I wanted to come to UNLV to cheer. So in 2019, I started at UNLV. I cheered here for 4 years, and then I was coaching & meeting a lot of people on campus. And from there, Becky Pugh [Associate Athletics Director for SAAS & Academic Eligibility Specialist for Women's Basketball] asked if I wanted to be a graduate assistant for SAAS. Most recently, I was offered this new position. [As a GA] I mostly worked with the spirit squads, advising them, and basically anything that I was asked to (reports), and then with the vacancy of this position, I kind of stepped in a little bit early and helped with some of those responsibilities.

Describe your new job duties and responsibilities as a full-time SAAS employee.

I still work with the spirit squads, advising them and helping them with their eligibility & academic success. Additionally, I am in charge of the textbook scholarship loan program, providing textbooks for all those student-athletes on scholarship & aid. And then most recently, I’ve been working on directing the Scarlet & Gray Awards, which is our end-of-year awards ceremony & banquet for all the student-athletes.

What is your favorite part about working with student-athletes?

Getting to know every single student-athlete, especially because I was in that position at one point here at UNLV. Being able to take my whole experience, and then getting to know every single student-athlete, and then apply what I thought would have been helpful, or just really getting to really know them as an individual, is really awesome - to learn about everybody and their stories.

What is something you wish every student knew about SAAS’ services?

One thing I think student-athletes should know more about are some of the things that we offer. I think a lot of student-athletes only talk to their advisor, and their advisor always gives them great advice, but we have a great tutoring program. I was a tutor for a small period of time, but the tutors that we have are really amazing, and they’re just for student-athletes, so they can adjust to their schedules. Obviously there’s a lot of time commitment being a student-athlete, so having somebody that can help adapt to that is awesome.

What is your favorite tip to provide for student-athletes to achieve success?

Something that I’ve implemented that I think is worth it for a lot of student-athletes is planning out every single one of their assignments. Obviously you have practice and schoolwork, and especially with the spirit squads, a lot of these girls, they don’t have [athletic] scholarships. So they have to work. I tell them, because I’ve always done it: write out every single assignment you have to do, so you can keep yourself organized. And that’s a universal thing all of my students do. Along with that, I always tell them to come ask me for help, even if they feel like they don’t need help. It’s always better to ask before you feel like you’re falling behind.

What was your greatest day/achievement on campus?

I think my most rewarding achievement would be winning my first national championship on the cheerleading team. Every year, the cheerleading & dance team competes at the UCA & UDA (Universal Cheerleaders Association & Universal Dance Association) National Championship. I came in, they had won D1 All-Girl Gameday division the year before me, and then my freshman year we won for the 2nd time in a row. That kinda catapulted me to really buy-in to this whole environment that UNLV Athletics creates. I’m most proud of that.

Who is someone on campus that you would like to thank & why?

The entire SAAS unit has been extremely helpful. I credit Becky [Pugh] for giving me my GA position and allowing me to pursue this career. Mallory Poole [Senior Women’s Sports Administrator, Director of Student Development] has also been extremely helpful, specifically throughout my entire journey of being a student athlete and interviewing for this most recent position. And a huge thank you to ASC staff, especially Dr. Gianoutsos and Dean McDonough, because making those connections has been great coming into this role.

What’s your favorite sport to watch or play?

I love going to the Golden Knights games, that’s really fun. Especially because I’m not from here, so coming into that environment is awesome. I loved to cheer for men’s basketball - that was probably my favorite.

What is your favorite place to grab food or drink on-campus, or nearby? 

Any of the coffee shops. I am always going to Rebel Grounds, or Starbucks, or Coffee Bean. I really do like Rebel Grounds, they have such a variety of coffee drinks, and that’s probably my favorite. Especially because I pass it every time I go to the Bookstore.

What is your favorite hobby?

Right now my favorite hobby is working out, just because I’ve taken this transition from being a student-athlete to not, so it’s something I can enjoy and let off steam, de-stress, work out. I love to go on walks, because I love the weather here. New York is very cold, so I do like to go on walks too. [On athletes transitioning away from regular workout routine] It was hard, especially because you’re coming from such a set routine and schedule, that someone is telling you when you’re working out and doing all your things, so it’s really another, you know, place that you have to have self-motivation, because you’re not being told what to do. You don’t have that routine. So you have to build it in…it was a struggle, that transition, at least that part of it, for me.

What does your perfect vacation look like?

I really would love to go to Europe. I really want to go to Italy or Greece. I’m a big foodie, so anything where I can get a good bite.

If you could give your younger self some advice, what would that be?

Never be afraid to take on a new opportunity. There’s a lot of things that can be scary, but you never know until you try. So even if it seems like you’re not qualified, or it’s something that gives you anxiety, it’s always worth trying.

Why did you choose to come to UNLV?

I’ve lived in Vegas all my life, so I knew that I wanted to stay close to my family & friends. And when I found out that a lot of my friends from high school were coming to UNLV, I decided to apply and enroll. Another reason was the classes. In my high school, there was a college advisor, and the things that she told me about UNLV really made me deeply consider it - the classes that they had, the business programs, things like that. The culture here, they’re very inviting and welcoming.

What is your major & favorite part of your major?

I’m currently an exploring major. However, I would like to major in business, with a focus in entrepreneurship. I’ve always been interested in business and, more specifically, entrepreneurship. I’d like to own my own business in the future. However, when I came to UNLV, I wasn’t set in stone with that major. So I just decided to do exploring, and then finally discovered what I’d like to do. [on declaring major] I’m thinking after I finish my general education courses, so probably sophomore year, near the end.

Name a class, professor, or individual that had a strong impact on your studies at UNLV. I took COLA 100E last semester, during the Fall, and my professor was Dr. Joe [Ervin]. He’s just an amazing professor. He’s really understanding, he’s caring, he’s very fun - his class was so fun. I met many people who will be my friends for a long time, so I was very happy about that. It also gave me the chance to further explore my major, and really discover what I wanted to do.

What are your plans after graduating?

I do want to own my own business, hopefully a self-care kind of business. So that’s my plan, just continue to learn and discover new things, try new things, travel, stuff like that.

What role has the ASC played in your success at UNLV?

Basically, coming into college, I really didn’t know what I was doing. So coming to the ASC, it really guides my direction on what I need to do. I meet with advisors fairly often, just to make sure I’m on the right track. I’ve talked to Jennifer [Czajkowski] and Scott [Hinkle] before, the advisors here. They’ve been very, very helpful, and they really take time to understand what you want to do, and just help you set up your classes.

What is one piece of advice you would give new UNLV students?

I would say: Don’t be hard on yourself, be very easy on yourself. Because college is huge, it’s very different from high school. So take time to meet new people. Everybody here is very, very friendly. Join clubs, different things like that, just put yourself out there.

What are some surprising/unexpected skills you have developed through attending classes or campus events? The first one, I would say, is more social skills. Before coming to college, I used to be a pretty shy person. And then in high school, I developed more and became more social. But in college, I became even more social. I met many new people, and it just really enhanced my social skills. And then another skill, I don’t really know how to describe it, but I used to procrastinate a lot, especially in high school. So when I came here, and I learned that there’s deadlines and late work policies and stuff like that, I learned to procrastinate a lot less. I developed new study habits, and I’m doing pretty decent in school.

What was your favorite day at UNLV so far?

It wasn’t necessarily during the school day, but Homecoming [2023] was very fun. I loved Homecoming. I enjoy sports and football, so just being able to be with people, tailgate, hang out, watch football, was really fun.

If you could have a gift card with an unlimited balance to any restaurant on the planet, which restaurant would you choose & why? I would say Olive Garden, because I love Italian food. If I could get unlimited Italian food, that would be amazing. And I also haven’t tried everything on the menu yet, so if I had a gift card, I could try literally whatever I wanted.

What are you looking forward to the most for Summer Break 2024?

I plan on going to California with my family, most likely Universal Studios. I haven’t been there since my senior year [of high school], we went on a senior trip there, so I’m very excited for that. And just spending time with my family & friends, maybe going to the pool, maybe a few beaches.

What are some hobbies you have outside the classroom?

I currently do All Star Cheerleading, with a gym called Las Vegas All Stars. I’ve been with them since 8th grade. I’ve been doing that for a few years, so I enjoy doing that. I’m also discovering new business ideas and stuff like that, I’ve been researching. Hanging out with friends, and spending time with family.