Athletics with Tessa

Transcript

Okay, everyone, it’s time to meet Tessa, a senior who hails from Italy and embarked on a remarkable journey to Old Dominion University in pursuit of her passion for volleyball and mechanical engineering. Get ready to hear about her unique experiences as a student athlete navigating rigorous academics and the world of sports. Tossing it to you, Tessa.

– Hey, Alex, thank you for the great introduction and to everybody, I grew up in Italy and I started playing volleyball when I was 11 years old. I immediately fell in love with the sport but getting a degree while playing in Italy, it’s hard because we don’t have college teams. So to follow my dreams, I came in the US here at Old Dominion University where I found a rigorous academic program and an amazing team. Being a student athlete is like having a full-time job. We have to manage our time between classes, practices and travel all year long. But thankfully here at ODU, we have a lot of people that makes our life easier. For example, all student athletes has an academic advisor who help us with our schedule and assignments. In addition, ODU athletics offers weekly tutoring as well as many on-campus resources. We have incredible facilities and study halls, psychologists and nutritionists to help us in our journey, not to mention the amazing friendships among teammates and other athletes. Even with our busy schedule, we are always there for each other. Within my major, the engineering faculty are always very understanding and willing to help, especially when I have to travel for out of state games. The professor wants you to learn and succeed in your classes. Being a student athlete here at ODU really encourage me to follow my dreams, play the sport that I love and study to become an engineer. It taught me to never give up on the things that I really care about and that hard works pays off both on the court and in the classrooms. ODU is giving me an excellent education, but more than that, a family on the other side of the ocean and I will always be incredibly grateful for this opportunity. Back to you, Alex, ciao, ciao.

– Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. There are really no limits on what you can do with the amount of resources you have at your disposal right here at Old Dominion University. Good luck on the volleyball season this year, Tessa. We all are rooting for you.