Tampa women's lacrosse coach Kelly Gallagher might not be a psychic, but the moment she heard about the Division II 50th Anniversary Scholarship, she knew a winner.
"If this is anyone, this is Molly Shapiro," Gallagher said. "She's exactly what this scholarship was aiming to get. You found her."
Shapiro was recognized for epitomizing Division II's Life in the Balance philosophy, centered around high-level athletics competition, academic achievement, campus involvement and community engagement.
The junior from Herndon, Virginia, juggles more than a busy schedule between lacrosse and majoring in nursing. Her accomplishments are numerous:
- Member of the Tampa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's executive board.
- Two-time selection for the Sunshine State Commissioner's Honor Roll with a perfect 4.0 GPA in 2022.
- Two-time winner of the Division II Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Award.
- 2023-24 recipient of the Freddie Solomon Community Service Award, a prestigious Tampa award honoring a student-athlete's dedication to community service.
- Participant on a Tampa nursing service trip to the Dominican Republic.
- Member of at least eight different community service organizations focused on nursing, Tampa families in needs, mental health, cleaning and beautifying communities, children's toy drives, animal rescue and blood donations.
- Peer mentor, tutor and Best Buddies volunteer.
Of the 46 recipients of the 50th Anniversary Scholarship, Shapiro is the only one competing at the Division II National Championships Festival in Orlando, Florida. She is appreciative of the opportunities to play a sport she loves, pursue a degree she's passionate about and give back to her community. It's the well-balanced life she wants.
"This lifestyle and balance is something that I was looking for when I came to college, and so being recognized as somebody who has demonstrated that and who has been able to live that is really special. It's really an honor," said Shapiro, who was joined by Tampa men's swimming student-athlete Kenan Dean as the Sunshine State Conference's selections for the scholarship.
Among the service work closest to Shapiro's heart is her involvement as an ambassador for Morgan's Message, an organization dedicated to eliminating the stigma around mental health within the student-athlete community. Morgan's Message was created by the family of former Duke women's lacrosse player Morgan Rodgers, who passed away in 2019.
Shapiro was on the same club lacrosse team that Rodgers had played on and had Rodgers as a guest coach on occasion for practices. The personal connection brought additional importance for the topic.
"We're all in the trenches sometimes and especially within athletics, knowing that we're under a lot of pressure, there's a lot going on. We have these challenging lifestyles, and we love them. But at times it can be a lot," Shapiro said. "It's important for every student-athlete, every person really to have that community, have that environment where there's somebody that you can always go to. Somebody that's there for you and is supporting you no matter what."
With a future career focused on healing people's physical health, Shapiro said the significance of mental health is not lost on her.
"I'm going to be a nurse in a year, and I think that mental health is just as important, if not more important, than physical health," she said. "You know it's something that has been overlooked in the past and something that we haven't always been fully aware of in the same way because it's hard to quantify. You know you can't just look at somebody and know what's going on with them the same way that you can take their temperature.
"It's hard to be aware because you don't know what's going on inside somebody's head. So it's really important to continue to make people aware of that."
Her self-awareness has been crucial to the Spartans and has helped Tampa to its first semifinals appearance in the national championship.
Shapiro's ability to be the team's rock and lift her teammates up is just as important as the skills of the team's on-the-field MVP, according to team captain Sarah Hinkle.
"It's so special to have her as a teammate because in any sort of situation, she will always be there," Hinkle said. "A lot of people have her on the team as like their emotional support friend, which is good because on the field we get like in our head in different moments. And when you go to the sidelines and Molly is there leveling you out and telling you it's all good, it's awesome to have her."
Because of her nursing clinicals, Shapiro had to miss practice every Wednesday. She made sure to make up for the missed time though. Shapiro would text Gallagher as she headed back to campus so that they could meet, watch film and catch up on what she missed from the day's practice.
"I didn't ask her to do it. It was just she never wanted to let her teammates down," Gallagher said. "She is just really, truly an amazing human and person. I'm so thankful she's on our team."
Putting others first makes Shapiro who she is — always has and always will.
"Being part of a team and doing things for others or something that's greater than yourself has always just been like an important moral ideal," Shapiro said. "It makes you feel good to do good. I like to engage in the community. It's what makes me fulfilled in life."
