Sofia Rauzi
Round Rock, Texas
"My interest in geology began with a love of the outdoors."
My fondest childhood memories involve camping on the Lake of the Ozarks with my family. I believe my interest in geoscience stemmed from these experiences. In 2015 I chose to attend UT Austin to dive on their swimming and diving team and in 2016 I declared geology as my major. I now work in the electron microbeam lab at the Jackson School and will be graduating from UT May 2019.
My Pathway
I became interested in the environment when I was a kid and I went camping with my family and friends. Throughout middle school and high school I was a highly competitive athlete with a dream of diving at a D1 college.
After coming to UT Austin I took an introduction to geology course and was immediately hooked. I began to work in the electron microbeam lab and have since gotten to see research being done in all different fields of geoscience.
In both the athletics department and the Jackson School it seemed clear to me that not all types of people were being represented. I am now the vice president of the Outletes and Allies, a club designed to erase the stigma around LGBTQ+ athletes, as well as a Geoscience Ambassador.
The surprising thing is...
While at UT Austin I have been able to grow in athletics while managing academics. While diving at UT I became a Big 12 champion, a 3 time NCAA team member, and an All American honorable mention diver.
Lessons
There are so many fields of study that you probably don't know about! You need to go and explore all of the possibilities before you can decide what field you want to pursue.