Alumni of Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) are making their mark across nearly every sector. Their liberal arts education provides career preparedness and a broad foundation of skills and knowledge, empowering them to pursue diverse disciplines and career paths.

Meet three distinguished A&S alumni whose careers in sports showcase the versatility of their education: an orthopedic surgeon supporting Buffalo’s professional and collegiate teams, a front office executive driving community engagement for the Chicago Bulls and a top sportswriter at The Wall Street Journal.

Attention to detail has always been a priority for Dr. Marc Fineberg ’89. As a biology major in A&S, he recalls meticulously scheduling every 15-minute block of his week on graph paper—balancing intense coursework, lab time and social life. Developing this time management skill became a critical habit that helped him navigate the rigors of academics and personal life, from Syracuse through medical school and beyond.

It was all part of a plan he began crafting in high school in Williamsville, a suburb of Buffalo, NY. There, he set his sights on becoming the team doctor for Buffalo’s major sports teams—the Bills and Sabres—and reverse-engineered his career to achieve that goal.

Fineberg credits Syracuse University as the launchpad for both his personal and professional success. Inspired by his older brother’s academic journey at Syracuse, he followed in his footsteps, drawn by the University’s strong academic reputation and ideal distance from home.

Syracuse not only provided a solid scientific foundation but also helped Fineberg become a more well-rounded scholar through its liberal arts curriculum. Courses like poetry and art have paid surprising dividends throughout his orthopedic career.

“One of the things that attracts me to medicine and surgery, and orthopedic surgery in particular, is the artistry of it,” he says. “Poetry helped me articulate things, and still to this day, I draw a picture of every surgery over 10,000 surgeries later. The liberal arts definitely broadened my perspectives.”

This balance enabled him to thrive, including earning a 4.0 GPA during a demanding semester while pledging a fraternity. His Syracuse experience laid the groundwork for his acceptance into Northwestern’s prestigious medical school.

“I can tell anybody who attends Syracuse University that it’s just a matter of having a dream and a plan, and taking it day by day,” Fineberg reflects.

After graduating from Northwestern, he completed his residency at NYU and a sports medicine fellowship at Harvard. Along the way, he built a reputation for excellence, ultimately realizing his dream as team physician for the Bills and Sabres.

“I just had to follow the template I created when I was 18 years old,” he says. “And in hindsight, it seems effortless—even though it was thousands of hours of hard work.”

While Josh Allen may be the face of the Bills, Fineberg’s role is equally vital. He oversees orthopedic care and manages medical procedures throughout the year, including on game days. His responsibilities begin hours before kickoff, evaluating players with lingering injuries and coordinating with medical staff during pre-game briefings. Throughout the game, he remains in constant communication via headset, ready to respond to injuries in real time—whether running onto the field, reviewing video footage, or making critical decisions about a player’s ability to return to play.

“There’s an injury on almost every play—whether it’s just a bruise or something more serious,” Fineberg explains.

His expertise was especially vital during the life-threatening cardiac arrest incident involving Bills safety Damar Hamlin in 2023. The team’s preparedness and swift action helped save Hamlin’s life and inspired a community-wide initiative to train over 25,000 people in hands-only CPR.

“We made the best out of a really bad situation,” Fineberg says. “You never know what’s going to come your way... and it’s what you make of those situations that really defines who you are.”

Outside of orthopedics and sports medicine, Fineberg is proud of a real estate venture he launched with his son, Justin. It’s a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit that runs through their family and which traces its roots back to Syracuse. After years of success in medicine, Fineberg partnered with Justin to create Dofi Properties, a real estate development firm named in honor of Marc’s late father.

Their projects include a series of multifamily property revitalizations and a 300,000-square-foot sports and entertainment complex near the University at Buffalo. Justin, a 2020 graduate of Syracuse’s Whitman School of Management with a dual focus in entrepreneurship and real estate, has been instrumental to the company’s success.

“You can follow our trails back to the days at Syracuse,” Fineberg says.

Adrienne Scherenzel ’98 has always believed in the power of connection, whether on the track, in the classroom, or across the neighborhoods of Chicago. As a psychology major and standout student-athlete at Syracuse University, she balanced academics with a record-setting track career, earning All-BIG EAST honors and multiple relay records alongside her twin sister, Melanie. Her time at Syracuse laid the foundation for a career rooted in public service, health equity and community leadership.

Originally from the suburbs of Toronto, Scherenzel was recruited to Syracuse after a coach spotted her and her sister at a track meet in Ottawa. That moment, she says, changed the trajectory of her life. “I feel like I’m living the American dream every day,” she reflects. “And that started at Syracuse University.”

After graduating from SU and earning a doctorate in podiatric medicine in Chicago, Scherenzel’s passion for public health led her to roles in major school districts and nonprofits, including serving as senior policy advisor to Arne Duncan, former U.S. Secretary of Education. That experience, combined with her deep ties to Chicago’s communities, made her a natural fit for her current role as Vice President of Community Engagement and Executive Director of Chicago Bulls Charities.

Today, she oversees a team of ten and leads initiatives that span player programs, alumni relations, philanthropy and grassroots outreach. From spotlighting small businesses to revitalizing public spaces with community murals, her work reflects a commitment to inclusivity and empowerment. One of her proudest projects is the Girls Coaching Cohort, a program inspired by her own experience as a student-athlete at Syracuse. “Coaching girls is different,” she explains. “We’re helping coaches understand how to motivate and support girls in sports and keep them in the game.”

Scherenzel credits her liberal arts education for giving her the confidence to navigate a diverse career path. “It gave me the foundation to be transferable across so many fields,” she says. “I feel confident in my writing, in understanding society and in thinking critically about how to serve different communities.”

In recognition of her impact as a student-athlete and her dedication to community service, Scherenzel was honored with a Letterwinner of Distinction from Syracuse University in 2022. Her journey from the track at Syracuse to the front office of an NBA franchise is a credit to the power of purpose, preparation and the Orange legacy that continues to shape her work.

Jared Diamond ’10 has always known where he was headed. From his earliest days in high school, he was writing for his local paper and dreaming of covering Major League Baseball. That clarity of purpose led him to Syracuse University, where he pursued a dual major in English and textual studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and journalism at Newhouse, a combination that would prove essential to his success.

“I always knew I wanted to be a sportswriter,” Diamond says. “And I really always knew I wanted to write about baseball.”

Drawn to Syracuse for its myriad opportunities around high-level Division I athletics, Diamond wasted no time getting involved. On his first day on campus, before even unpacking his bags, he walked into The Daily Orange in search of a sports writing opportunity. That initiative landed him his first beat—cross-country—and launched a college career filled with reporting, writing and real-world experience.

One of Diamond’s most unforgettable experiences came during his junior year, when he reported on the legendary six-overtime basketball game between Syracuse and UConn in the 2009 Big East Tournament. “It’s still one of the most amazing things I’ve ever covered,” he says. His story for The Daily Orange, headlined Six in the City, became an instant catchphrase and even appeared on t-shirts. “I didn’t get a cent of royalties,” he jokes, “but it was an unbelievable experience.”

Diamond’s decision to pair journalism with a liberal arts education was intentional. “No matter how great your journalism fundamentals are... to really make it as a journalist, you have to have a wide breadth of knowledge,” he says. His English and textual studies coursework gave him the opportunity to read and write extensively, helping him develop a strong voice and deep appreciation for storytelling. “The best way to become a better writer is to read good writing. There’s no substitute for that.”

That broad foundation has served him well in his role at The Wall Street Journal, where he’s covered multiple World Series, the Olympics and major stories like the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. “Even as a sportswriter, you end up wearing a lot of different hats,” he says. “I’m a court reporter, a health and science reporter, and a labor reporter…Having a broad knowledge base allows me to do all the different kinds of reporting I do far beyond the baseball field.”

Diamond’s proactive approach was a launchpad for his professional success. He secured internships every summer, culminating in a pivotal opportunity with MLB.com and eventually The Wall Street Journal, where he’s worked since 2011. His advice to aspiring journalists is simple but powerful: take advantage of every opportunity. “What employers really want to see is not just what you’ve studied... They want to know what you’ve done with that knowledge. When I was at Syracuse, I spent so much time at the Daily Orange and came out of school with binders and binders full of published clips.”

In 2020, Diamond published his first book, Swing Kings, which grew out of an article he wrote in 2018. The book explores how a group of outsider coaches, many of whom had been dismissed by the baseball establishment, helped transform the swings of major league players and usher in a new era of power hitting.

From the halls of Syracuse to the press box at the World Series, Diamond’s journey as a sports reporter and published author exemplifies the power of preparation, persistence and the kind of well-rounded education that empowers students to chase their biggest dreams.