How did you get into diving?
I started diving when I was about five or six years old. When I initially started, I was actually playing tennis on a court right beside our diving pool in my town. It was a hot summer day, 90 degrees out, and I was like ‘this is the last thing I want to be doing right now’. I saw the people in the diving pool having so much fun, just flipping and jumping, and so I told my dad ‘I wanna go do that’. So, we went and watched a practice and then, one of the divers was like ‘you should come try it out’! And so, ever since, then diving has been my sport and I haven’t really tried anything else.
Why did you pick Political Science?
So, in high school, I was really interested in current events, law, politics, and that sort of stuff. I was just really drawn to the topics that would be studied in Political Science, I was just really drawn to those kinds of things.
How has being a Political Science major affected you?
I think it has guided my thinking, the way I approach life. It’s definitely taught me a lot about the way the world works and the political system and what we can do, how we can affect change, and stuff like that. It’s motivated me in a lot of ways.
What are you planning on doing after you graduate?
After college, I will continue training for 2028, but I also would like to pursue a law degree. I’m not sure when that would be, but if I ever have enough free time, I’ll pursue it.
How do you balance training to be an Olypmian and also living your normal life?
It definitely is a balance. There is not much time during the day to just sit around and slack off, you kind of have to be on the go all the time. It’s really setting a plan, and sticking to it. Training takes up a lot of time, so you really have to balance that with class and find time to study, but there is also time where you need to be social and be with your friends, so I definitely make time for that by just getting my stuff down during the week and having some free time on the weekends.
Going back to the Olympics, what would you say was your biggest challenge while you were there?
I think it would be being confident in myself. It’s a new environment, the level of competition is so high, there is so much pressure to perform well. It’s really just remembering ‘you need to do what you’ve done this whole time’. I reflected on my past performances to give me confidence, and it really helped me move through that challenge.
What was your favorite thing while you were there?
My favorite thing was being able to watch other sports. I was able to watch the gymnastics team final, one of the beach volleyball matches in front of the Eiffel Tower, and I was also able to watch the men’s basketball gold medal match. So, that was my favorite part.
What would you say to any incoming Political Science majors? Do you have any advice for them?
I would say to make sure you manage your time well. You need to work with your advisor to get a good schedule in place. If you can balance your studying with all the other priorities you have, I think that would be helpful.
Thank you so much for your time Carson!
Thank you for having me.
The College of Arts