Luke Gillingham, Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Student, Men's Track & Field
1. What sport/position do you play? How old were you when you started playing your sport?
I run Track and Cross Country. I have been running in holiday 5ks since I was 5, but didn't start organized training and competition until middle school/high school.
2. How do you balance the demands of being a student with demanding coursework and being a college athlete? What strategies help you manage your time?
I rely a lot on healthy habits and plan study time into my days. I also use multiple methods of organizing my work such as physical and online to-do lists, and a physical calendar to make sure I know when assignments are due and what assignments have highest priority on a given day.
3. What drew you to combine athletics with such a challenging academic field? Was there a moment that sparked your interest in engineering/computer science?
I really enjoyed calculus and physics in high school and wanted to pursue further knowledge and understanding of the world through both, as well as apply my knowledge to solve real-world problems. I would say both my junior and senior year physics classes in high school really cemented my decision.
4. What skills from your sport have unexpectedly helped you in your engineering/computer science studies, or vice versa?
I think the critical thinking skills I have learned from my STEM classes have allowed me to better analyze my running and running as a sport to improve at it.
5. Can you describe a typical day in your life during the competitive season?
My busiest day right now is Monday, I have two classes in the morning and then have 40 min to get lunch before weights and a team meeting, I usually then do around 2 hours of study hall and then go and run on my own around 6 since I have class-practice conflicts on Mondays and Wednesdays. I normally leave my room about 8:30 am and don't get back until around 8:30 pm.
6. How do you plan to use your combined experience in athletics and engineering in your career? Are there specific companies or industries you're interested in?
I think my involvement with athletics will give me another dimension that could allow me to be more competitive in the job market. I have only just started my degree so I don't know yet exactly where I want to end up as far as specific companies or industries.
7. Are you considering continuing with sports after graduation, whether professionally or recreationally? How might that align with your career?
I am definitely planning on continuing to train competitively after graduation. It will be challenging, but fortunately there are plenty opportunities to race unattached at college and professional meets and I plan on continuing to train and try and find out where my ceiling is athletically.
8. What advice would you give to incoming student-athletes who are considering engineering or computer science as their major?
I don't feel like I have too much experience yet to really base advice off, but I would say be confident in what you know but yet don't underestimate the challenge.
9. What's been your proudest moment so far, either in athletics or academics?
My proudest moment would be running under the previous freshman 6k record (19:00) with a time of 18:52 following my freshman teammate who ran 18:30, making us the top 2 freshman in the 6k in PSU history.