Cajuste is majoring in computer science
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, Fla. – Being a scholarship athlete at Florida Tech requires incredible hard work and dedication to excel both in the classroom and on the field. In this edition of Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, we spoke with Lillian Muszynski, a third-year sports management major and Panther volleyball player.
The Pickerington, Ohio, native had 332 kills, 115 block assists, 47 solo blocks, and 38 digs in three seasons with the Crimson and Gray.
Musinski was named to the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner's and Florida Tech Athletic Director's Honor Rolls after each of his first two seasons.
We spoke to Lillian to talk about how she balances it all and what she hopes to do with her degree.
Please tell us a little about your major. Why did you choose it and what do you want to do with it?
So, I am currently starting my senior year and plan to pursue a degree in Sports Management.
I grew up playing sports, and so did my brother. So I used to watch my brother's games a lot, and whether it was on the swim team or playing sports, we were always competing in different things. volleyball.
My parents always let us play all kinds of sports, so sports have always been a very close part of my life, so I knew I wanted to do something in the sports industry, but I never knew I wanted to do something in the sports industry. I didn't know exactly what I was thinking.
I knew I didn't want to play after college, but I thought sports management would be a good way to stay in the sports industry and pursue my business degree and passion for business. part of the game. So I think my goal is to hopefully work for a professional sports team here next year since I'm planning to graduate in December. Therefore, I would like to find an internship this summer and preferably work for a professional sports team. .
■ Volleyball season starts around the same time students return from the summer, but how can you make sure you're on track with your studies when you return to the sport after the holidays?
We are lucky enough to be able to move a few weeks earlier than most, which allows us to rearrange our schedules a bit. In some ways, that's a positive thing because it gives you time to decide on the location of your room, think about what it will be like to have a new roommate, and other things.
That also helps. This is because every year since my freshman year, I have taken summer classes and acted as a kind of leader. So I kept that school mentality little by little, but I never really quit. Stay on a consistent path.
It's also nice to not have preseason in the way. We have two practices a day every day for a week and a half before school starts, so we're kind of used to being on a schedule.
So it's kind of nice to keep yourself busy all the time, and you get into the mindset that there's always something to do, and then you add in assignments and stuff like that, and it makes it easier to transition right into gaming and traveling. beginning of the school year.
■ Do you have any teammates or fellow players who have become research partners?
A lot of times, all of us who go to business school, whether it's someone younger than me or someone a little older than me, we say to each other, “Hey, did you have this professor?” talk about. ?’ or “Hey, did you take this class?”
What did you do? So we're all in this together in that regard. It's not just the members of the volleyball team, it's the other athletes as well. We all work together as one big group, and we're really good at sending information and collaborating: “Would you like to join us on a group project?” In that sense, everyone on the athletic team and all of us business kids are working together on various projects, schoolwork, and assignments to get through the busy and crazy schedules we all have.
■What do you need to do to make the most of your study time? Do you have a playlist or do you need to be alone in your room?
If you have study time allotted while you're out (and if you're staying in a hotel, it's usually allotted sometime that day), turn on a good playlist, or turn on the playlist or back up. Play a TV show on the ground and play some noise to help you concentrate. Then I sit down and start working and try to break it up into smaller groups.
So if you work for 30 minutes, take 10 minutes to yourself and reset your brain a little bit. When I'm at home, I turn on a movie in the background and play it on the TV.
It's something I've seen many times and I'm not really that into it, but it helps me stay focused and keep the process going and I try to minimize the time I spend on assignments. I am. ” Working on multiple assignments in a row won't be too distracting.
■ How did being a college athlete prepare you for what you're doing now? Also, do you apply what you learned from the court to your studies?
yes of course. I think sports prepare you for anything in life. So there are struggles, there are challenges, there are good times, there are bad times, and there are things that can only be gained by being with a group of teammates who push you to be a better person.
How we work together within the team, between our coaches who are always striving to see us perform at our best, and our teammates who are making sure we are held accountable for being at a high level; It really helped me understand how to work under pressure. How to manage your time really well.
Our schedules are essentially set 24 hours a day, including time for sleep. I think this is really good because it helps you understand how to stay focused and motivated, how to structure tasks, set goals, etc. All of this, along with team collaboration and setting my own personal goals, all play their part in making athletes stronger and better and helping me excel in the future workforce.
■ What advice would you give to athletes coming to Florida Tech interested in sports management?
If you're going into sports management, I think you have a love for the game, a love for what you do, a love for being in an organization where people compete. And they strive to be their best, which makes you want to be your best, too.
If you like the drive to be in a high-level atmosphere that's constantly changing and moving, you'll love the highs when you could win a national championship and the lows when your season could go 0-27. I think there are times. Whatever it is, you have to know how to adapt to it.
If you like that pressure and intensity, you'll love going into sports management, or working with a diverse group of people in marketing, media, operations, or whatever you want to do. You'll love it. They can all play a big role. A role for your career in sports management.
Click here for more Brevard County news