Sophomore Allie Skaggs has a love for Tucson that runs deep. Her parents are Arizona alumni and she has grown up an Arizona Wildcat, even while living in Kentucky until her senior year of high school. Her family made the move from Louisville, Kentucky to Tucson during her senior year of high school to be closer to her when she started playing softball at Arizona. 
 
In her two years at Arizona, Skaggs has been a star on the softball field. While she's a steady force at second base, Skaggs loves to give back to the Tucson community that means so much to her and her parents.
 
As a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Skaggs helps her teammate Izzy Pacho - the head of the community service committee - find community service and volunteer opportunities for the student-athletes. The pair works together every week to find opportunities for individuals and teams to give back to the Tucson community. Through SAAC's community service committee, Skaggs has been involved in giving back to the community by reading to elementary students, picking up trash around Tucson, and even making birthday cards for children in hospitals.
 
"Arizona is such a tight knit community and when you help people in the community, you get a new fan," said Skaggs. She recently read to elementary students as part of Love of Reading Week and explained that the young kids who looked up to her remind her of herself. "The light in their eyes is so exciting because they look up to us so much as athletes, and I remember looking up to collegiate athletes when I was younger."
 
Skaggs' love of helping in the community has helped her feel at home at Arizona and realize the meaning and importance of being a Wildcat. "Being a Wildcat is about tradition and it's truly a family here," Skaggs explained. "We hold ourselves to such a high standard. We know that we have a high status in the community as student-athletes and we love to carry on that tradition."
 
Whether that tradition is on the softball field where more than 50 All-Americans and eight National Championship teams have played, or in the community where student-athletes are loved by Tucsonans, Skaggs takes pride in knowing that she is making a difference and connecting with the community she represents every day.