Student Athlete Experience

Transcript

All right everybody, who’s ready for some sports? I think this guy is, that’s Gunrock, the UC Davis mascot. Now let’s go to UC Davis Health Stadium and meet Kyla. She’s a junior majoring in psychology. She’s also the women’s gymnastics team co-captain and you’re gonna see, she approaches her sport and studies with equal intensity. And she’s gonna tell us about the student athlete experience at UC Davis. Kyla, the floor is all yours.

– Hey everybody, to be an Aggie is to be surrounded by people who are kind, hard-working, perseverant and successful. Not only is UC Davis one of the top academic programs in the country, it is also known for its excellent athletic programs. It was always a dream of mine to continue my gymnastics career at the collegiate level, but it was most important for me to attend to college with academic rigor, our 25 Division 1 programs put us on a national stage, allowing for students from all over the country to bring their talents to the Aggie platform. The experience of game day at UC Davis is unlike any other, whether you’re watching gymnastics or basketball in the Pavilion, football at the UC Davis Health Stadium or any of our other sports, you are guaranteed to have a great time. Our free entry for students make sporting events essential for a fun, social weekend with all of your friends. There are even opportunities for students to play games against their fellow Aggies on the courts during halftimes for fun prizes. Meet days at UC Davis are the best days. The lights are shining down in the Pavilion, sparkles are twinkling on our faces and leotards the music is loud and the crowd is even louder. The energy in the arena is tangible and the crowd loves to learn our floor routines and dance along with us. There is no comparable feeling other than sticking a dismount in front of the whole Pavilion and hearing the roar of your best friends and teammates cheering you on. Over my time at UC Davis and my gymnastics career, I have gone through many injuries. While rehabbing back from these various injuries I learned a lot about myself and what kind of impact I wanna have on the world. Our amazing coaching and athletic training staff throughout my ACL rehabilitation played a vital role in catalyzing my passion for wanting to help other athletes recover from similar injuries, which has led me to pursue a career in physical therapy. My choice career has primarily been driven by the education I have received at UC Davis. There are so many opportunities for student athletes to connect with future employers through career fairs and Aggie EVO, a program designed to help student athletes prepare for future success and learn about post-graduation life. The people at UC Davis are some of the best people I have ever met. The relationships I’ve made with my teammates, coaches, professors, academic advisors and other athletes are truly one of a kind. Everyone on campus wants their athletes to succeed both academically and athletically. So thank you UC Davis, and to everyone I’ve met along the way, there is no other college I would rather be at. As always go Aggs. That’s my story, now back to you, Alex.

– Kyla, you nailed the landing on that one. Thank you, congratulations on all your success in the sports arena and in the classroom, working that closely with teammates or classmates builds lifelong bonds and it doesn’t hurt your career either. I know you’re gonna make an amazing physical therapist. Thanks again for telling us your story. Great job, Kyla. She crushed it, huh?