Q&A WITH DEJA

Q: What was the hardest obstacle you faced as a student-athlete?

During my January 2019, I tore my Achilles tendon following my first collegiate competition. I messed up my middle pass in the competition so I was determined to fix it for the next competition. Unfortunately, I had to wait an entire year before redeeming myself due to the injury.

The recovery process for achilles tendon is long process that requires a great deal of mental toughness. This was my first surgery and my first recovery without my parents by my side. I watched my teammates compete that year while I sat home and did PT. I never knew life without gymnastics or life outside of being a student athlete. I felt like I was going through an identity crisis during my injury and it made me think less of myself because I was not in lineups competing. During this year, I learned the value of being a good teammate, a good friend, and ultimately finding myself. For a while, I believed that ending my gymnastics season meant ending everything else in life. It took a while for me to understand that life didn’t end just because gymnastics temporarily ended. When I changed my mindset about my life and my injury, my recovery took a turn for the better. I found myself waking up excited to go to therapy and build that muscle, being the biggest cheerleader for my teammates, and exploring DC by making the most of my free time.

I look back now and appreciate the hardships that injury taught me because it made me a better teammate once I recovered and began competing again. I seized every opportunity as if it were my last and I took advantage of every moment I had with my teammates inside and outside of the gym to make memories that will last long after gymnastics was over. This injury may not have been easy but I’m glad it shaped me into the leader I am now.

Q: If someone wrote a biography about you, what would the title be?

The Journey of a Gymnast

Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of?

I have been blessed with the opportunities I have been afforded over these last four years and because of that, there’s a lot of accomplishments I am proud of. I am most proud of the leader I have become over the course of my time here at GW. I started as a naive, yet eager freshmen and now I am a rising fifth year teaching the incoming freshmen the lay of the land. I am creating the foundation for future leaders to come and that’s an extraordinary accomplishment in my book.

With great leadership comes great responsibility, I agree, but it also comes with a team that has your back. A team that’s willing to work hard for you because you work hard for them. I believe this is why GW Gymnastics won our conference championship last year. It wasn’t just about one person on the team, we did our routines for each other. We worked hard side-by-side all year and when the time came, we let our preparation guide us. It was so special because everyone, even the freshmen, were in their element. We didn’t make the competition bigger than what it was, we put our head down and put in the work. We won that championship together and that feeling is sweeter than anything I could’ve accomplished on my own.

Q: What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?

The most courageous thing I’ve ever done was blindly go from an undergraduate degree Exercise Science to a Masters Degree in Health and Biomedical Data Science, that I knew absolutely nothing about. I changed my career path during my undergrad time and I knew I had to find another route. I took a leap of faith and jumped from learning about the human body to coding. It was quite an adjustment and it wasn’t always easy but that’s the great thing about college - we can learn and try just about anything. The sky is the limit when it comes to education. It may not come easily but as athletes, we already know how to be great students and work hard. This jump in my academic career has resulted in my sleepless nights learning different coding languages, but it also sets me up for life after college and athletics. I am proud of my decision to switch to Data Science. There is a high demand for it in the health field and I will make a great impact on patients. With the knowledge I’ve gained I am now credible in both exercise science and data science.

Q: What Was your favorite class/professor and why?

Professor Amanda Visek - Psychology of Injury and Rehabilitation. This class and this professor was everything and more than I needed when I experienced my injury. It showed me ways to motivate yourself outside of your sport. Goal setting and positive self talk can be used in all aspects of life and a positive mindset can get you through darkest of times. This class helped me see that and taught me how to help my injured teammates that came after me.

Q: What do you think is the most important issue for student-athletes today?

Mental health. Student-athletes carry a lot of baggage and, for the most part, make it look easy. I think normalizing overuse injuries and burnout is just that. Student-athletes don’t do much complaining because we know there’s a greater goal at stake; this is what makes us great. Conversely, student-athletes should have someone to talk to when they feel like their life is just a repetitive cycle every day, someone to let them know the hard work does have purpose. The accolades and awards are a great reward for such hard work but it would be great to help athletes understand that they are not alone in their journey to becoming great.

Q: Who or what has been your biggest inspiration or motivation?

I’ve had a lot of people in my corner and help me get to where I am today. My biggest inspiration and motivation has been my alumni. Something about seeing the young women who have gone through GW Gymnastics, injuries, and hardships become such successful women makes me want to keep going. For example, my senior captain was injured during her freshmen year and got better and better as her college years went on. Her injury didn’t define her, had the year of her life during her fifth year. She is a large reason as to why I keep pushing, she could do it and so can I. We do a alumni meet every year, Lindsey Ferris Invitational, where alumni come together and celebrate the next generation of GW Gymnasts. At this meet I get to witness such great bonds and success all in one room. I strive to be as successful as my alum during and after my college experience.