Now in her fifth academic year at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business and the University of Cincinnati, women's tennis player Maria Santilli is on the verge of earning her third degree from Lindner, all while balancing the duties required of a high-achieving collegiate student-athlete.
As it turns out, averaging more than one degree for every two academic years isn't quite enough schooling for Santilli, BS '21, MS '22 '23. Following the expected collection of her master of science in taxation after the spring semester, Santilli plans to return home to Pittsburgh to pursue an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.
"I like school a little too much," Santilli joked.
Flexibility is a key trait for any student-athlete, but especially critical for a student as committed as Santilli.
"I've had to learn to adapt my study regimen. In high school, I would go sit in my room and study whenever I wanted," Santilli said. "Now, I'm studying on an airplane. I'm studying on a bus, in a van or in the locker room. Wherever I can get in a few extra minutes to review accounting, I do."
The women's tennis team wrapped up its fall season in late October. Santilli, primarily a singles player entering the 2022-23 season, added doubles play to her repertoire this fall.
"We had a really great fall season," Santilli said. "Spring season is my last one as a Bearcat before I move full-time into recreational tennis."
Santilli's path into the accounting and tax field as a student-athlete feels preordained. Her father was an accountant, and an uncle worked in the tax department of an accounting firm. And Santilli's mother played varsity tennis at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
After arriving at UC in 2018, Santilli required just three academic years to complete a bachelor of business administration in accounting. She spent her final undergrad semester as a private equity tax intern with Deloitte in Cincinnati. After obtaining a master of science in accounting, Santilli worked in Pittsburgh as a wealth management tax services intern with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Will Schwartz, BBA '64, MBA '70, was never employed as an accountant but has used the knowledge gained from his undergraduate accounting degree every day of his life.
A member of Lindner's Keating Society who previously served on the college's Business Advisory Council, Schwartz has supported a pair of scholarships at Lindner. Santilli has been the beneficiary of the Will & Jean Schwartz Athletics Scholarship Fund, an annual scholarship awarded to a Lindner student-athlete.
Schwartz and Santilli have developed a bond, as Schwartz has attended Santilli's matches, met her parents and penned letters of recommendation for Santilli.
