Cross Country Q&A: Mariah Gondeiro
11/8/2015 8:40:00 PM | Cross Country, Competing With Purpose Blog
How exactly does one balance competing at the Division I level and attending law school? Women's cross country runner Mariah Gondeiro-- who was the Waves' number three runner at the WCC Championships -- has provided us with insight into her first year at Pepperdine, as well as how she balances her academic career and her athletic career:
Q: How has the transition been for you, coming to Pepperdine after running at Rocky Mountain College?
A: Well, I originally was playing basketball ... and then my last year at Rocky I switched over to running -- and I found that running was a lot easier to balance with school. So when I came here -- obviously, law school is a lot more intense. I don't have as much free time as I did at Rocky, and so I have to be very disciplined with my time and get things done ahead of time so I can go to practice. My time is a lot more restricted, and I can't procrastinate anything ...but I've adjusted to it well. At the beginning it was a bit of a struggle, but I'm used to it now.
Q: Has there been anything unique or special that you've experienced so far as a student-athlete at Pepperdine? What have you enjoyed about it?
A: I really like that Coach Rad fosters a family environment. He's not just concerned about us as athletes, but as people -- and he focuses on building us up as people and not just great runners. He teaches us fundamental things that we need to know in life. For instance, some days he'll have different speakers, and one speaker will talk about finances, and how to be good with your finances. And he'll have other Christian speakers come in and talk. It's really cool. That is just one thing that has been really different about this program.
Q: What motivated you to continue your cross country career even after completing your undergraduate degree?
A: I ran in high school, and I missed it. I didn't want to be done yet. I wanted to be able to compete at the next level, to keep going, and advancing. I would've still been running on my own time, regardless, so it just made sense to run with a team.
Q: The fact that you are an accomplished athlete and are attending law school is very impressive. What are some of your tactics for successfully balancing your academic life and your life as an athlete?
A: I would recommend to anyone trying to balance school and sports to try not to stress yourself out. Get what you need to get done for that day. Don't think too much ahead, because sometimes when I think too much ahead I get really overwhelmed and stressed. When you're stressed you just can't do anything and you can't run. I make a list of tasks that I need to get done for each day, and I take it one day at a time.
Q: What are your specific plans/goals upon graduating from law school?
A: I want to get a job! I know I want to help in some kind of area dealing with human trafficking and help fight it. I've also considered going into corporate law, so I could goa couple of different directions.
Q: What are your specific goals as you end cross country season (and move on to track in the spring)?
A: In the past years, I've gotten hurt. I got hurt a lot in my undergraduate career --so, my goal is just to have a good season and to end strong. Not necessarilycompare myself placing wise, but just know that I ended off on a good note, and that I reached my peak, didn't break down and was able to run my last race andfeel good and strong.
Players Mentioned
