Maggie Brascia Masters Pickleball: Maggie Brascia, a 22-year-old from Mission Viejo, California, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Concordia University Irvine, all while competing professionally in pickleball. She completed her studies entirely in person, making her achievement even more impressive.
Managing School and Sports
While traveling across the U.S. for tournaments, Maggie Brascia kept up with a full college class load.
“Attending college in-person and traveling across the country for tournaments was definitely stressful and overwhelming. There have been so many tournaments where I would be at the venue playing all day and then have to rush back to my hotel room to finish a computer science project or homework for one of my classes.” – (Brascia)
“Since I had a full class load, it was tough to balance my classes with practice and tournaments. School was a big priority for me, so it was difficult to focus solely on pickleball when I always had homework and due dates on my mind.” – (Brascia)
Brascia did not take any online courses, which meant she had to attend classes on campus while juggling her demanding tournament schedule.
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Facing Tough Challenges
The computer science program wasn’t easy. One of her hardest courses was a drone-building class that required technical skills and teamwork.
“My toughest class was a drone class where my classmates and I had to build our own drone and program it to fly around our entire campus. My team and I spent so many hours building the drone from scratch and writing the code to get it to fly and function correctly. There was a lot of trial and error, but our drone was able to successfully complete the course.” – (Brascia)
Despite the difficult coursework, Brascia found joy and growth in the learning process.
Strong Support from Professors
The support from her professors made a big difference. They understood how important pickleball was to her and helped her manage her schedule.
”My major was difficult and required a lot of time, effort, and energy. Luckily, I attended a school where my professors worked with me and were supportive of my pickleball career. Some of my professors would even watch my matches or follow how I was doing in a tournament.” – (Brascia)
She believes she wouldn’t have made it without their help.
“Find a school that will support you. I would not have been able to do this if my professors didn’t work with my schedule and support my pickleball journey.” – (Brascia)
What Comes Next
Now that she has graduated, Maggie Brascia plans to focus on pickleball full-time.
“My current plan is to keep playing pickleball professionally. I’m looking forward to having more freedom to pursue new hobbies, have more time to train, and get as good as I can. I won’t be applying for computer science jobs just yet, but I really enjoy web design and might even want to start my own business in the future.” – (Brascia)
Looking back, she’s thankful for the experience but ready for what’s next.
“I’ll miss the community and social aspect the most. I met some of my best friends in college, had great professors, and overall made so many memories that I will never forget. But, I’m not going to miss all of the homework and studying.” – (Brascia)
News in Brief: Maggie Brascia Masters Pickleball
Maggie Brascia, 22, graduated from Concordia University Irvine with a computer science degree while also playing pro pickleball. She took all classes in person and thanked her professors for their support. Brascia now plans to focus on her sport and explore web design or business opportunities in the future.
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