Student Athlete

Playing soccer professionally, working in scientific editing, and preparing for a counter terrorism career

ksheikh2 — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 18:44:12 +0000

Playing soccer professionally, working in scientific editing, and preparing for a counter terrorism career    ksheikh2 Tue, 02/25/2025 - 13:44

Honors College and student athlete alumna Breanna Connell (Forensic Science, ‘17) discusses her experience at George Mason University and beyond.   

As a dedicated Honors College student and athlete, alum Breanna Connell (Forensic Science, ‘17) appreciated the supportive and flexible community at George Mason’s Honors College, especially with her ever-changing schedule as an athlete. “We would have practices at certain set times each day, and it was very easy to schedule my classes around those times,” she said. “If I had to miss a class for a game, the professors were very understanding and allowed me to adjust deadlines for work when I needed to.”   

Photograph Provided

During her time at George Mason, Connell majored in forensic science, a program that prepares students for careers in Homeland Security, defense, and intelligence agencies. She also received a minor in intelligence analysis at George Mason, a university conveniently located a few miles away from Washington D.C. and ranked No. 4 nationally for Homeland Security according to U.S. News and World Report. Additionally, Connell was a dedicated student-athlete within the Honors College, having played soccer for all four years of her undergraduate degree.   

She continued her athletic career as a professional soccer player following her graduation, playing in the U.S. and for several countries in Europe. In fact, while in the process of applying to graduate school to study counter terrorism, Connell suddenly had the chance to play in Hungary. “I couldn't pass up the opportunity to continue my soccer career,” she said. “So, I'm putting my education goals on hold for a little bit, but I plan to revisit them at some point.”    

Connell also worked as a scientific editor at companies such as Cactus Communications, Actin, and Edit Pro during her post-graduate career. She recognized the profound impact her time at a nationally ranked R1 research university had on her later editorial work.   

Photograph Provided

She especially noted her memorable experience in Honors 110: Principles of Research and Inquiry, a required class for all Honors College freshman, where students conduct a semester long research project. “I learned a lot of strategies for research that have really come in handy in my work as an editor.”   

As for Connell’s future, she plans to continue her soccer and editorial careers. She also plans to work in the intelligence field supporting counterterrorism, or another related field. Connell reassures prospective student athletes within the Honors College that balancing a successful academic and athletic career is possible. “The school will support you in making time for your athletics,” she says, “and your athletic coaches will recognize the value of your education and make allowances for that as well.”  

Topics

George Mason Honors College

Bioengineering student balances athletics and academic success

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 17:49:22 +0000

Bioengineering student balances athletics and academic success Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/11/2021 - 12:49

Bioengineering junior and student-athlete Laura Hodge saw George Mason University as a place for opportunities, and while she admits it sometimes can be hard to juggle her obligations, she believes she made the right choice.

Laura Hodge is a bioengineering student and member of Mason's swimming and diving team. Photo provided.

A Blacksburg, Virginia native, Hodge is a swimmer on Mason’s swimming and diving team and an aspiring bioengineer. For her, Mason checked all the boxes for what she was looking for in a university.

“What drew me to Mason was the opportunity to be a part of different communities like the Honor’s College, the swim team, and the athletics department. I also knew that after graduating from Mason, the number of opportunities in the area would be tremendous,” says Hodge.

She hasn’t been disappointed. “My favorite part of Mason is all of the friendships and connections I’ve made. I’ve gotten the chance to meet amazing people who have inspired me.”

Bioengineering professors and classmates have opened her eyes to new areas of research. Many engaging professors in the Honors College have pushed her to succeed. And as a member of the swim team, she has gotten to meet like-minded athletes and fellow engineering majors.

Hodge hopes to be an inspiration for others. She is a student-athlete mentor, working with freshman and sophomore student-athletes to lead them through the college transition and teach them time management.

Her motivation has led her to academic success. For the past two years, Hodge has been awarded the Peter N. Stearns Provost Scholar Athlete award, which means she has maintained a 3.75 cumulative GPA.

“It can be overwhelming at times if you let it. Planning is key to keeping on top of things, and the strict schedules for swim keep me in check,” she says. This is what she advises her mentees to do to ensure academic success—make a schedule, stick to it, and keep looking forward.

COVID-19 has modified a lot of aspects of Hodge’s life. Canceled meets have changed her swimming season, and the safety precautions across campus have meant that almost all of her classes are virtual. But Hodge doesn’t let that get to her. “It was a change, for sure, but I think everyone has settled into a new routine. The whole world had to adjust, so I saw this as a lesson to learn.”

Hodge’s biggest piece of advice to incoming Mason students is this: “Find your communities early. It can be hard to get involved later, especially as an engineering major because your classes get harder.,” she says.

“And you never know what could happen.”

Topics

Bioengineering

Department of Bioengineering

Student Athlete

Mason Swimming and Diving

Triple jumper Dhiambi Otete shares how she balanced athletics and academics on the road to citizenship.

alin23 — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 17:28:10 +0000

Triple jumper Dhiambi Otete shares how she balanced athletics and academics on the road to citizenship. alin23 Mon, 02/17/2020 - 12:28

Freshman Dhiambi Otete at the 2020 Patriot Games on January 25th, 2020.

Triple jumper Dhiambi Otete is a full believer in the power of participation — both on Mason’s NCAA Division I Track & Field team as well as in her new role: U.S. citizen.

“I really wanted to vote in the next election, so that was a key point in waking up every day and studying [for the test] — because if I could vote in next year’s election then I would be doing my civic responsibilities.”

In November 2019, she went through an extensive process involving tests and an interview to become a naturalized citizen. As she was completing the application, Otete had to balance a busy practice schedule and her first year of Honors College and computer science coursework. Her commitments require an unwavering mindset about what she wanted to achieve.

“The hardest thing about being an athlete is probably waking up at 7 A.M. to go to practice in the morning,” she remarks with some humor; triple jump is a technique-heavy event.

An athlete since age fourteen, it has taken Otete years of hard work and the right attitude to become a skilled jumper and sprinter. In 2017, she was honored with the Outdoor Most Improved Player award and the Indoor Team award. In addition, she was selected for the First Team All-District and the First Team All-Region awards, leading her to become an All-State record holder for Thomas A. Edison High School.

“[W]ithout my coach — his name was Coach C. — I wouldn’t be here today, because he really helped me a lot with the college process and picking out schools with the best D1 sports teams, and I really thank him for that.”

Since coming to Mason, her passion for track and field has only grown. To get through hard practices — and long days of study — Otete emphasizes the importance of positive affirmations.

“…the thing that makes me get up and go is how much I love running for track and field and how much I love the people there and all of the coaches. That always helps me get up and get over how early [I wake up for practice], because all of the staff here are really amazing.”

She also relies on her teammates to stay motivated, “I thought it was going to be hard to make friends on the track team — but I was wrong,” she says.

Otete will be competing most weekends of the spring season and hopes to keep working toward her goal of making it to the NCAA Atlantic 10 Conference Championships during her time at Mason. In the interim, you may find her casting a ballot in the general election on November 3rd, 2020.