(Author Mackenzie Schweickart is an undergraduate student working for Sun Devil Athletics in the Public Relations Lab at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Originally from Rock City, Illinois, Schweickart moved to attend ASU and will graduate in the Summer of 2022.)
Arizona State University is among the top five American universities that awarded the most science, technology, math and engineering (STEM) undergraduate degrees in 2021 according to Forbes.
Currently in the 2021-22 academic session, there are nearly 120 student-athletes enrolled in STEM programs at ASU. The men's and women's track and field teams have nearly 30 student-athletes pursuing STEM degrees between the teams, the most of any other sport.
Sophomore Bella Gaspar is a defender for the Sun Devil lacrosse team, and she is pursuing a Mechanical Engineering degree. Ultimately, there were a few different aspects that helped Gaspar decide to study a STEM major.
"Growing up, I really liked making things. I have a pretty creative mindset. In high school, I was really good at physics and math naturally," said Gaspar. "Honestly, I was not 100% sure what I wanted to do, but I figured engineering will set me up for a lot of job opportunities in the future, so that was why I decided to go for it."
Gaspar moved from Canada to attend college with her twin sister who is also on the Sun Devil Lacrosse team. Looking for a college with an engineering program and lacrosse team, ASU "checked off all the boxes" for Gaspar.
Finding the time to succeed in both aspects of her academic career was hard for Gaspar since she has such "high standards" for herself on and off the field. For her, being a student-athlete helps her push herself in the classroom and on the field.
"Lacrosse definitely makes me a better student because of time management," said Gaspar. "You have to be on top of everything. I have to get everything done and still get eight hours of sleep. I'm on top of my work in the classroom because I have to be."
Similarly, freshman MJ Lopez Aguirre, a member of the Sun Devil Triathlon team, is pursuing a mechanical engineering degree. Lopez Aguirre moved from Mexico and chose to study and compete at ASU for the dominant triathlon team and engineering programs.
"I like knowing how things happen and how they work," said Lopez Aguirre. "I really like the whole engineering mindset, it's really broad and you can apply it in different ways."
Balancing the course load that comes with a STEM major can be a daunting task for a student who isn't competing in athletics. With practice and game schedules and less hours to dedicate specifically to class work, it's even harder for student-athletes to find the right balance. Student-athletes need a support system that guides them without fail, and ASU provides the resources for its students.
"There's a study hall, and they [ASU] look out for you and help make sure you're keeping up with school," said Lopez Aguirre. "We have advisors that look at everything to make sure we're staying on track. The coaches are really supportive, and that's the most important thing, just having the support."
Additionally, sophomore Kate Fitzgerald plays for the Sun Devil Beach Volleyball team. The Arizona native was on the 2021 Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll and is studying biomedical sciences. Fitzgerald hopes to work as a nurse in a NICU unit and eventually be a nurse practitioner.
For Fitzgerald, ASU has everything she needed to succeed in her college academic and athletic careers. Between the support from tutors, coaches, and professors, Fitzgerald decided ASU was the perfect fit.
"ASU had everything I wanted," Fitzgerald said. "It has high academics, you know 'number one in innovation', and it's a Pac-12 school, so it's a very competitive and driven environment. It offered so many doors to the real world for success after college."
Even though student-athletes have the support systems in place for them to prosper, finding the time to relax can be difficult. Although they have found the balance between academics and athletics, there is even less time for a student-athlete to have any downtime.
"One of the hardest things is finding time to decompress. With sports, there's so much 'go go go,' and then go to your classes and get the work done," said Fitzgerald. "It's hard to find that time where you're just going to make dinner and relax."
Under so much pressure, any student's confidence falters after receiving a bad grade. It can make a student doubt everything. For student-athletes, they have to find a way to prevent a bad grade from affecting how they play their sport and "separate the two to some degree."
"I remind myself that a grade is just a grade," said Fitzgerald. "It doesn't define just any one thing. There's so many grades, and that one grade isn't going to impact how I play volleyball, and how I play isn't going to impact what I know for school."
Senior Sun Devil gymnast Megan Thompson also found her home at ASU after transferring her freshman year from the University of Nebraska. Studying medical sciences to be a physician's assistant, Thompson was on the 2020-21 Pac-12 Fall-Winter Academic Honor Roll.
"I transferred to Arizona State knowing that it was a really great program and that it would be closer to home," said Thompson. "I love it, and I'm so glad I chose here [ASU]. There's nothing like it, and it's where I'm meant to be."
For Thompson, seeing ASU getting more academic recognition excited her even more about being a Sun Devil.
"It's really cool, and sometimes I feel like ASU gets overlooked when it comes to academics," said Thompson. "In my time here, I've had professors that have really affected me in such a positive way, and I look back at all the opportunities ASU has given me academically, and I'm glad that others get to see that now."
Even though a student-athlete beginning their college career may be passionate about a STEM program, the fear of not having enough time to study a STEM major can dissuade them from pursuing their dream degree. Thompson faced similar fears, but she refused to back down.
"I was a little hesitant going in as a freshman, but if it's something that you want to do, you just have to do it," said Thompson. "I knew that I was going to push through because it was something I wanted to do, and I think that you just have to commit to it even though it gets hard and you want to change your major. It's all worth it in the end."
Arizona State University is among the top five American universities that awarded the most science, technology, math and engineering (STEM) undergraduate degrees in 2021 according to Forbes.
Currently in the 2021-22 academic session, there are nearly 120 student-athletes enrolled in STEM programs at ASU. The men's and women's track and field teams have nearly 30 student-athletes pursuing STEM degrees between the teams, the most of any other sport.
.@forbes shared a list of universities that graduate the most STEM majors. @ASU is in the top five.#Excellence #ForksUp #SunDevilshttps://t.co/TjgoHWkV9B
— Nancy Gonzales (@GonzalesNancyA) August 23, 2021
Sophomore Bella Gaspar is a defender for the Sun Devil lacrosse team, and she is pursuing a Mechanical Engineering degree. Ultimately, there were a few different aspects that helped Gaspar decide to study a STEM major.
"Growing up, I really liked making things. I have a pretty creative mindset. In high school, I was really good at physics and math naturally," said Gaspar. "Honestly, I was not 100% sure what I wanted to do, but I figured engineering will set me up for a lot of job opportunities in the future, so that was why I decided to go for it."
Gaspar moved from Canada to attend college with her twin sister who is also on the Sun Devil Lacrosse team. Looking for a college with an engineering program and lacrosse team, ASU "checked off all the boxes" for Gaspar.
Our very own Bella Gaspar (@Bellag_2002) is 1?? of many @TheSunDevils student-athletes that is part of the @ASU STEM community
— Sun Devil Lacrosse (@SunDevilWLax) December 15, 2021
Of the nearly 1??2??0?? Sun Devils that are STEM majors, 1??1?? come from @SunDevilWLax ????
READ MORE about the growing connection ??
.@ASU has the 4?th most STEM graduates in the NATION! We have 1?8? STEM majors in our program, including:
— Sun Devil Swim/Dive (@ASUSwimDive) September 30, 2021
º Jane Brown (Neuroscience)
º Evan Carlson (Mechanical Engineering MS)
º Isabella All (Aerospace Engineering (Astronautics))
º Dylan Gravley (Biomedical Sciences) pic.twitter.com/TeTjv47exA
Finding the time to succeed in both aspects of her academic career was hard for Gaspar since she has such "high standards" for herself on and off the field. For her, being a student-athlete helps her push herself in the classroom and on the field.
"Lacrosse definitely makes me a better student because of time management," said Gaspar. "You have to be on top of everything. I have to get everything done and still get eight hours of sleep. I'm on top of my work in the classroom because I have to be."
Similarly, freshman MJ Lopez Aguirre, a member of the Sun Devil Triathlon team, is pursuing a mechanical engineering degree. Lopez Aguirre moved from Mexico and chose to study and compete at ASU for the dominant triathlon team and engineering programs.
"I like knowing how things happen and how they work," said Lopez Aguirre. "I really like the whole engineering mindset, it's really broad and you can apply it in different ways."
Balancing the course load that comes with a STEM major can be a daunting task for a student who isn't competing in athletics. With practice and game schedules and less hours to dedicate specifically to class work, it's even harder for student-athletes to find the right balance. Student-athletes need a support system that guides them without fail, and ASU provides the resources for its students.
"There's a study hall, and they [ASU] look out for you and help make sure you're keeping up with school," said Lopez Aguirre. "We have advisors that look at everything to make sure we're staying on track. The coaches are really supportive, and that's the most important thing, just having the support."
Additionally, sophomore Kate Fitzgerald plays for the Sun Devil Beach Volleyball team. The Arizona native was on the 2021 Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll and is studying biomedical sciences. Fitzgerald hopes to work as a nurse in a NICU unit and eventually be a nurse practitioner.
For Fitzgerald, ASU has everything she needed to succeed in her college academic and athletic careers. Between the support from tutors, coaches, and professors, Fitzgerald decided ASU was the perfect fit.
"ASU had everything I wanted," Fitzgerald said. "It has high academics, you know 'number one in innovation', and it's a Pac-12 school, so it's a very competitive and driven environment. It offered so many doors to the real world for success after college."
Even though student-athletes have the support systems in place for them to prosper, finding the time to relax can be difficult. Although they have found the balance between academics and athletics, there is even less time for a student-athlete to have any downtime.
"One of the hardest things is finding time to decompress. With sports, there's so much 'go go go,' and then go to your classes and get the work done," said Fitzgerald. "It's hard to find that time where you're just going to make dinner and relax."
Under so much pressure, any student's confidence falters after receiving a bad grade. It can make a student doubt everything. For student-athletes, they have to find a way to prevent a bad grade from affecting how they play their sport and "separate the two to some degree."
"I remind myself that a grade is just a grade," said Fitzgerald. "It doesn't define just any one thing. There's so many grades, and that one grade isn't going to impact how I play volleyball, and how I play isn't going to impact what I know for school."
Senior Sun Devil gymnast Megan Thompson also found her home at ASU after transferring her freshman year from the University of Nebraska. Studying medical sciences to be a physician's assistant, Thompson was on the 2020-21 Pac-12 Fall-Winter Academic Honor Roll.
"I transferred to Arizona State knowing that it was a really great program and that it would be closer to home," said Thompson. "I love it, and I'm so glad I chose here [ASU]. There's nothing like it, and it's where I'm meant to be."
For Thompson, seeing ASU getting more academic recognition excited her even more about being a Sun Devil.
"It's really cool, and sometimes I feel like ASU gets overlooked when it comes to academics," said Thompson. "In my time here, I've had professors that have really affected me in such a positive way, and I look back at all the opportunities ASU has given me academically, and I'm glad that others get to see that now."
Even though a student-athlete beginning their college career may be passionate about a STEM program, the fear of not having enough time to study a STEM major can dissuade them from pursuing their dream degree. Thompson faced similar fears, but she refused to back down.
"I was a little hesitant going in as a freshman, but if it's something that you want to do, you just have to do it," said Thompson. "I knew that I was going to push through because it was something I wanted to do, and I think that you just have to commit to it even though it gets hard and you want to change your major. It's all worth it in the end."