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As a student-athlete recruited to , Marley Berano’s journey to Mount Holyoke was atypical from what many students experience. Basketball has been part of the point guard’s life since she was eight years old, so she was excited to make it part of her college experience, too. However, she didn’t want the sport to completely control her MHC life.

“I was specifically looking for a Division III team to play on,” Berano said of her college selection process. “I wanted a school on the smaller side so I could have a more personalized academic experience. I was looking for a place to grow [and] challenge myself but also to have a social life or work on the side while not losing my sport at the same time.”

Although basketball was a significant part of her campus experience — she played all four years and served as captain for three years — Berano still managed to get involved in other ways. She served as the diversity, equity and inclusion representative and chair of the in her third and fourth years, respectively. She also worked in the Office of Admission & Financial Aid as a tour guide and senior ambassador, which allowed her to interview prospective students. Berano says she especially loved working in the admissions office because of the staff and the opportunities she had to share her love and passion for the campus with incoming students.

“I’ve gotten so much mentorship from the admissions office. Plus, I love talking about my experience at ������ý,” she said. “I find it interesting to talk to current high school juniors and seniors about where they’re at versus where they are hoping to go to college. That one-on-one time feels more influential than the tours themselves.”

When it came to her coursework, Berano had her sights set on psychology and declared it as her major early on. But it was her mentor and advisor, Becky Wai-Ling Packard in the psychology department, who encouraged her to consider the joint Psychology and Education degree program instead.

Her long-term career goal is to be an athletic director, ideally at a private liberal arts school like Mount Holyoke or a boarding school for middle and high school students. To do this effectively, she believes it’s important to experience as many facets of the education system as she can. She’s particularly drawn to independent schools because of her experience as a high school student who attended one. She saw firsthand the tight-knit community that is created and the focus on holistic learning. She brings this holistic approach to her own teaching philosophy.

“In order to be a strong athletic director, I think you need to be in a classroom and have a good sense of what the students are experiencing,” she explained. “So it’s important to me that I get that experience as a classroom educator and as a coach. After all, coaching is just an extension of teaching.”

Berano didn’t wait until graduation to start her career in education. She started her journey to athletic director two summers ago as part of her Nexus in Educational Policy and Practice. In the summer of 2024, she interned at a K-12 day school in Osterville, MA, where she did administrative work for the school’s admissions and development teams. The Lynk-funded internship helped her see how sustaining traditions and alum connections is integral to independent schools. That summer, she also got to help plan large-scale student events, such as field day, graduation and awards ceremonies.

During the summer of 2024, she also held a second internship at the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, where she was able to apply her studies to her work life. Throughout the summer, she taught an introduction to psychology class to middle school–aged students, coached afternoon sports, lived on campus, and supported students in the dormitories.

“Holistic care and teaching to the whole student is such an important part of these schools and helps shape and build a really tight-knit community,” Berano said. “To be an educator in those spaces is rewarding because you see these students grow in all areas. To see them find themselves is exciting.”

In her own words, she is officially retired from basketball, but Berano is excited about what’s next for her — especially since basketball will still be part of her life. In August, she’ll be moving to North Andover, Massachusetts, as a Davis Fellow at Brooks School. Throughout her fellowship, she’ll be teaching, coaching and living on campus to help advise students.