Along with being a full time mechanical engineering major, senior Catherine Or also triumphs on the women’s basketball team. She manages the typical Carnegie Mellon course load along with weekly practices and games. While a lot of people might feel burned out after balancing so much responsibility, Or’s passion seeps through all her work.
Or started playing basketball when she was five years old. Her first sport was soccer and she rotated between that, basketball, and swimming throughout the year depending on the season. After her mom didn’t want her doing headers in soccer and she got a little bored swimming back and forth in a pool for hours, Or decided to stick to basketball. “I thought it was the most fun, the most action-filled and fast-paced game, and I also liked the team aspect of it. Working with others, being able to build chemistry, and things like that.”
It can be tough balancing intense academics and a sport like basketball, but Carnegie Mellon makes it doable. Or said that professors are generally understanding, especially when she has to miss class for a game. That doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult.
“It’s definitely tough in terms of time management,” Or said. “A lot of times you might have to sacrifice some social life, but it also makes you a lot more disciplined.” She went on to say that she and some of her teammates find it more difficult to get things done when they’re off-season. “When we’re in-season, we understand how to plan out our day, that we have two hours of free time and we need to get the assignments done and things like that.”
After graduation, Or will be working for Caterpillar Inc in Clayton, North Carolina.
The women’s basketball team’s next home game will be on Feb. 14. Go support Or and the other incredible athletes on the team!
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