Improving My Balance of School and Athletics here at PSU

    


    When I decided to come to PSU, there was more incentive than just a great Agriculture and Extension Education program. I was a pretty successful high school wrestler and was trying to figure out where I wanted to go that could support both my academic and athletic preferences. Once I realized I would love to come to PSU, the coaches reached out to me and I came to campus and fell in love with both programs. I knew it would be difficult but was willing to put the work in to reap the rewards of my actions.

    Penn State Wrestling is an extremely accomplished program, winning 11 national titles since head coach Cael Sanderson took over in 2008. This year was the first national championship team that I was a part of, and it was an absolute blessing I had a great time with my teammates all year long. While it is rewarding, it requires a lot of time outside of class, whether it is a practice/lift in the morning or afternoon or a team meeting of some sort. This is something that I struggle with at times, and need to develop a better system to keep my school and athletics straight. 

    Any free time that I have outside of the classroom or wrestling room is often spent doing schoolwork, or taking any time that I can to myself or spend with my teammates. Our team is extremely close, so we like to do things together as a team, so much free time is spent doing those things as well. Saying no to going out for dinner or something like that is not always easy, but sometimes I have to in order to get things done on time or go to other events. I also need to find a way to use a planner or calendar, because I am constantly fumbling over dates and events. I am the guy that will go and buy a planner, use it for a week or two, and then I have no idea where it goes and I never use it again. So, I need to find something that is easy to use and will be something I can stick to for a longer period of time. 

    It certainly is not easy to balance these two responsibilities that I have, and then not to mention the fact that my organization skills and the system are definitely sub-par. I am slowly getting better, but I still have a lot more room to improve, and I actually look forward to doing so. I have learned a lot in my time already, and it has made me a better student and person. This will continue to be the case for the remaining time here at PSU and throughout my student teaching experience as well. I can't wait!!



    

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