Nose deep in Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics,” figuring out what the final end of human action is, while also squeezing in last minute practices before your season starts is a common situation for freshman psychology major Mia Grace Delahoz. Delahoz has been balancing the responsibilities of both Torrey Honors College, and a player for Biola’s women’s basketball team throughout her first year at Biola.

For as long as the Torrey Honors Program has existed, there have been several pre-conceived notions of the program, the primary being that Torrey students read an abundant amount of books, usually more than what their backpack can carry. As a Torrey student myself, I agree with the fact that I have lost count of the amount of books we have read, and my backpack is slowly falling apart because of the weight of both Plato’s “Complete Works,” and St. Augustine’s “City of God.” 

Because of the practically never-ending reading list for Torrey, in-class discussions and additional writing, the program is recognized as an intensive and time-consuming endeavor. With regularly scheduled practices, the physical toll of playing and the possibility of being off-campus for weeks at a time, the life of a student-athlete is very intensive and time-consuming. Ultimately, the idea of tackling both commitments appears to be very difficult to complete. 

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

During my time in Torrey, while also being a sports writer for the Chimes, I have seen very little overlap between the worlds of honors students and student-athletes. Why might this be? Is it purely because of how much time each program requires? And what good is there when someone decides to achieve both with the awareness of sacrificing so much time? Delahoz noted that while she was encouraged to pursue both coming into Biola, she was made fully aware of how much work it would be. 

“I knew it was going to be hard because I knew basketball would be a lot. I didn’t really know what to expect with Torrey though, but they’ve been super accommodating and super understanding,” Delahoz said. “I think they’re pretty flexible with a lot of things, which makes it really easy for me, but it’s still a lot.”

Before coming to Biola and committing to both activities, Delahoz received a lot of help from Torrey Professor Matt Van Hook. Delahoz noted that Van Hook has made a continuous effort to better accommodate student-athletes in the program, so that it can expand to a wider range of students and ultimately flourish to the best of its ability. Van Hook allowed Delahoz to see the beauty that lies within Torrey, and would help her in any way in order to achieve that while also growing as a student-athlete. 

“One of the first things I talked to Dr. Van Hook was that he really wanted more athletes to be involved in the program, so that’s what sparked my interest at first,” Delahoz said. “One thing that was hard was that my coach is new to Biola, he’s only in his second year, so he didn’t know a lot about it. So he was really hesitant about letting me do it at first, but he was really open to it. And Dr. Van Hook made an effort to go and speak to him, so he felt comfortable with it.”

HELPING TO THRIVE

A unique aspect to Torrey is the class-time setup. Freshmen are required to meet two times a week for three hours each with their assigned cohort. Scheduling around these times is difficult for the typical Torrey student, but Delahoz said that with her student-athlete schedule, it took a lot of time and care to ensure she was getting the most out of her session times. 

“They did a good job of getting me connected with a Torrey advisor, and then an athletic advisor as well,” Delahoz said. “So it helped me mesh the schedules together, just because that was going to be really hard making sure I can stay with my cohort almost all four years, while being able to be at basketball all the time, making all my practices, making all my games.” 

While the two activities seem far from similar, Delahoz noted the many ways in which they complement each other. The benefits from both programs are harvesting Delahoz to the best of her abilities, and to thrive in all places of life. 

“Communication was a big one, I’ve always been taught that I had to talk on the basketball court, and then I feel really confident speaking in session, even if I don’t really know exactly what I’m talking about,” Delahoz said. “I feel comfortable asking questions… I’m able to express my points really well because I have experience with basketball. And then I think with Torrey, it’s just really helped me learn to communicate even better, express what I’m feeling, talk to coaches and adults, I think that’s probably the biggest aspect.” 

Despite the two being very overwhelming at times, Delahoz would encourage anyone who is presented with the opportunity to take it, and of course, to start your semester reading as soon as you can. 

“Read ahead of time, use your mentors for sure… I’ve talked to her a lot, they’re always really understanding. They help in a lot of different areas, and they’re friends more than anything else. So they definitely make sure you’re taken care of, and they’re understanding when you’re overwhelmed, because it really is a lot, but it’s really wonderful and I love it,” Delahoz said. 

Torrey’s ultimate goal is to cultivate the good, the true and the beautiful, and how could they make that possible without the participation of a wide variety of students? From music majors, to student-athletes, Torrey accommodating all types of students will ultimately benefit all.