After graduation, many former college students take the summer off, find a job or internship, or plan for graduate school. What most do not do is plan a two-year commitment to a volunteer coaching and teaching job thousands of miles from home.

But those who know Patty Dougherty, a recent graduate and student-athlete at the University of Scranton, are not surprised by her plans to do just that.

Dougherty, who played soccer and lacrosse at Scranton, has accepted a two-year assignment with Jesuit Volunteers International to teach and coach in Micronesia, a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean south of Guam and north of Indonesia -- thousands of miles from her home in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania.

Dougherty has experience doing volunteer work in foreign countries, and she's no stranger to community service in the states either. She spent the summer of 1998 on an International Service Program Team in Mexico. And during her college days, she participated in a one-week young-adult service trip to Wilmington, North Carolina; served as an assistant coach for a girls' 18-and-under soccer team; tutored elementary, high-school and college students; and presented a program on faith and service for 11th - and 12th-grade high-school students.

"I went to Mexico two summers ago, and I really liked the idea of service," said Dougherty, who graduated magna cum laude with a degree in philosophy and minors in biochemistry, coaching and Spanish. "I've talked to a lot of (Scranton) alumni who have been involved in this program and others, and everyone has told me what a great experience it is. It's a big commitment, but I realized I wanted to go through this program since I went to a Jesuit college."

While at Scranton, Dougherty managed to balance her community-service work with her commitment to her sports and her academics. In addition to playing lacrosse, she played for four years for the university's nationally ranked soccer team, where she was a first-team all-conference selection as a senior and a second-team pick in her sophomore and junior seasons.

She also was an integral part of a Lady Royals team that posted a four-year record of 48-31-4, including a 19-3-1 season this past fall as Scranton won the Freedom League division as well as the overall Middle Atlantic States Conference crown and advanced to regional final in the Division III Women's Soccer Championship.

"Nothing Patty does surprises me," said Lady Royals head women's soccer coach Joe Bocchicchio. "That's the type of person she is. (Joining the Jesuit Volunteers International) is a continuation of everything she's done in the past. She'll be a positive influence because she's a good person. The people (in Micronesia) will realize after two years what we have known all along."

When Dougherty was considering the volunteer opportunity, she turned to a former Royals student-athlete -- cross country standout Chris Heaton of the Class of 1990 -- for advice and encouragement. Heaton spent three years volunteering with the Jesuit program in Katmandu, Nepal, before becoming a high-school history teacher and cross country coach in Westwood, Massachusetts.

"Patty seems well-suited for volunteer work abroad," Heaton said. "It's a great opportunity to learn from people in another environment and to appreciate all that we have. It's amazing to see how resilient people can be. Patty's enthusiasm and optimism will really help her."