Cajuste is majoring in computer science.
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Becoming a scholarship athlete at Florida Tech requires incredible hard work and dedication to excel both in the classroom and on the playing field. In this edition of our Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, we spoke with Lillian Musinski, a junior sports management major and Panther University volleyball player.
The Pickerington, Ohio, native recorded 332 kills, 115 block assists, 47 blocks solo and 38 digs in three seasons with the Crimson and Gray.
Musinski was named to the Sunshine State Conference commissioner's and Florida Tech's athletic director's honor rolls after his first two seasons.
We sat down with Lillian to talk about how she juggles it all and what she wants to do with her degree.
Tell us a bit about your major, why you chose it, and what do you want to do with it?
So, I'm currently a senior in college and I'm going to pursue a degree in Sports Management.
I grew up playing sports and so did my brother, so I used to watch his games, I was on the swim team, I played volleyball, I was always competing for different things.
My parents always had us playing different sports so sports was a really big part of my life and I always knew I wanted to do something in the sports industry but I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted.
Although I didn't want to play after college, I thought sports management would be a good way to stay in the sports industry and continue to pursue my business degree and passion for the game. So, my goal is to work for a professional sports team here next year. I'm set to graduate in December, so I'm hoping to find an internship this summer and hopefully work for a professional sports team.
■ Volleyball season starts right after summer vacation. How can I keep up with my studies when returning to sports after the holidays?
We're kind of lucky in that we're moving in about two weeks before everyone else, so we're able to juggle our schedule a little bit, and we've got time to sort out our space, figure out what it's like to live with new roommates, and do a lot of stuff, which is good.
I have been taking summer classes every year since my freshman year to prepare, so I have never stopped while still keeping a bit of a school mentality, so it was nice to be able to stay on a consistent path.
Also, after preseason ends, we have two practices every day for a week and a half before school starts, so it will be good for us to get used to the schedule.
So it's good to keep them busy throughout that time and prepare them that there's always something to do, and adding assignments etc. to that makes it easier to transition straight into games and trips at the start of the school year.
■ Were there any teammates or fellow players who studied with you?
A lot of times, all of us in business school, whether it's people younger than me or people a little older than me, we all talk to each other and say, “Hey, have you had this professor?” or, “Hey, have you taken this class?”
They ask me, “What did you do?” In that sense, we all cooperate with each other, not just the volleyball team members, but also the other athletes. We all cooperate as one big group, and we're really good at working together, sending information and saying, “Would you like to join us on a group project?” In that sense, everyone in the sports team, all of us in the business team, cooperate with each other on various projects and schoolwork and assignments to make up for our busy and crazy schedules.
■ 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 a room?
When I'm traveling and have a designated study time (usually just one day if I'm staying in a hotel), I'll put on a good playlist or have a TV show on in the background, providing some noise to help me focus, then I'll sit down and start studying, breaking into small groups.
So after I work for 30 minutes, I try to take 10 minutes to myself to kind of reset my mind. When I'm at home, I try to have a movie playing in the background and on the TV.
This is something I've seen many times, and while I'm not super passionate about it, it helps me stay focused and move the process along. It also helps me minimize the amount of time I spend on any one task so I don't get too distracted as I work through multiple tasks in a row.
■ How has your time as a college athlete helped you in your current endeavors? Do you use what you learned on the court in your studies?
Oh yeah, for sure. I think sports prepares you for anything in life: the struggles, the difficulties, the good and the bad, but there's something that only comes from being with a group of teammates who push you to be a better person.
With our coaching staff always striving to see the best in us and our teammates making sure we were accountable to a high level, I think that really helped me understand how to work together in a team, how to work under pressure and how to manage my time well.
Our schedule is basically set 24 hours a day, even the time we go to bed. I think it's a good thing because it helps us understand how to stay focused and motivated, structure tasks, set goals, etc. All of this, team collaboration, individual goal setting, plays a role in making athletes stronger and better and helping them excel in the workplace in the future.
■ What advice would you give to athletes attending Florida Tech who are interested in sports management?
I think if you want to go into sports management you need a love of sport, a love of what you do, a love of being part of an organisation where people are competing and striving to do their best and are motivated to do their best.
If you like the dynamic of being in a high-level atmosphere that's always changing and moving and you like the best situation where you might win a national championship or the worst situation where you're 0-27 on the season, then I think you have to know how to adapt to that.
If you like the pressure and the high intensity, you'll love going into sports management, and you'll love working with different groups of people in marketing, media, operations, whatever it is that you like, all of which can play a big role in a sports management career.
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