Not only does USC boast world-class athletes, but world-class student-athletes as well. Each month, we will profile one of these outstanding Trojans who has chosen to pursue coursework in either the science, technology, engineering or math field (STEM).
Name: Rebekah Ent
Sport: Track & Field
Year: RS Sophomore
Major: Psychology
Sarah Bergstrom (SB): So how did you end up here? I know you were at UCSB first, so what brought you to USC?
Rebekah Ent (RE): UC Santa Barbara is a pretty small school, kind of isolated. We're on the coast and nothing else is really around us. So USC being in a big city is definitely what brought me here. And obviously the track team is super good and I did well last season, and so I wanted to step up my track career. I think there's just a lot more opportunities here too, just in terms of the great alumni program here. There's so many opportunities that not only being an athlete brings here, but just being a student here, meeting a bunch of people.
SB: Did you do cross country and track at UCSB too?
RE: Yeah, I was injured my first year and then my second year I just raced one cross country race, so I wasn't really on the team because I was still coming back. And then I did a full season of track.
SB: Okay, got it. Going from cross country to then racing an 800 is obviously super different. What is that like for you during a year of training? How do you prepare yourself for a much shorter race when track starts?
RE:I think cross country is a great base for track. It gives me really good endurance going into the season and having so many longer workouts and miles under my belt going into season makes me feel really strong for track. And then obviously when I get to track season, adding in all of the speed work, I think it compliments my training well. So I have a good base and I feel confident that I'm not going to get injured because I'm strong going into all the faster stuff. I've started running the 1500 more this year so they're more closely related.
SB: Do you view track, and specifically the 1500, more of a focus for you and cross country as your preparation? Or is it pretty equal in the way that you look at it?
RE: Yeah, I've always been a track person. In high school I ran the 400 and 800. I ran one year of cross country in high school, so I really wasn't a cross country person. But I've learned that it's only going to help me get better for track. I used to be kind of scared of cross country (laughs)but now I know it's going to help me.
SB: On the school side of things, did you declare as a psychology major when you first started or was that something that kind of came along way?
RE: So I was a communications major actually at Santa Barbara and then I worked in a psych lab starting my second year there. I had this amazing professor and started working for her in her lab.
SB: Just by chance you took a psych class?
RE: Yeah, I took a psych class over the summer and the professor and I hit it off. She was super cool, super into what she did, and I was super interested in helping her out and getting involved. So I worked in her virtual reality lab. I did that all of my second year, so that switched me over to psych. I was not really sure about communications anyway. When I started working in that lab I knew I wanted to do psych, so I changed then.
SB: So is virtual reality what you want to get into or what do you think you want to do with psychology down the road?
RE: No, not specifically that, but a lot of the studies she ran in her lab had to do with exercise and how you physiologically respond to exercise, in combination with different goals. So if your goals change how does that affect your physiological exercise. So that really intrigues me, being an athlete. I don't know, I think I definitely want to do something with that looking at maybe a Master's program in maybe applied psychology or getting a PhD down the road.
Sarah Bergstrom (SB): So how did you end up here? I know you were at UCSB first, so what brought you to USC?
Rebekah Ent (RE): UC Santa Barbara is a pretty small school, kind of isolated. We're on the coast and nothing else is really around us. So USC being in a big city is definitely what brought me here. And obviously the track team is super good and I did well last season, and so I wanted to step up my track career. I think there's just a lot more opportunities here too, just in terms of the great alumni program here. There's so many opportunities that not only being an athlete brings here, but just being a student here, meeting a bunch of people.
SB: Did you do cross country and track at UCSB too?
RE: Yeah, I was injured my first year and then my second year I just raced one cross country race, so I wasn't really on the team because I was still coming back. And then I did a full season of track.
SB: Okay, got it. Going from cross country to then racing an 800 is obviously super different. What is that like for you during a year of training? How do you prepare yourself for a much shorter race when track starts?
RE:I think cross country is a great base for track. It gives me really good endurance going into the season and having so many longer workouts and miles under my belt going into season makes me feel really strong for track. And then obviously when I get to track season, adding in all of the speed work, I think it compliments my training well. So I have a good base and I feel confident that I'm not going to get injured because I'm strong going into all the faster stuff. I've started running the 1500 more this year so they're more closely related.
SB: Do you view track, and specifically the 1500, more of a focus for you and cross country as your preparation? Or is it pretty equal in the way that you look at it?
RE: Yeah, I've always been a track person. In high school I ran the 400 and 800. I ran one year of cross country in high school, so I really wasn't a cross country person. But I've learned that it's only going to help me get better for track. I used to be kind of scared of cross country (laughs)but now I know it's going to help me.
SB: On the school side of things, did you declare as a psychology major when you first started or was that something that kind of came along way?
RE: So I was a communications major actually at Santa Barbara and then I worked in a psych lab starting my second year there. I had this amazing professor and started working for her in her lab.
SB: Just by chance you took a psych class?
RE: Yeah, I took a psych class over the summer and the professor and I hit it off. She was super cool, super into what she did, and I was super interested in helping her out and getting involved. So I worked in her virtual reality lab. I did that all of my second year, so that switched me over to psych. I was not really sure about communications anyway. When I started working in that lab I knew I wanted to do psych, so I changed then.
SB: So is virtual reality what you want to get into or what do you think you want to do with psychology down the road?
RE: No, not specifically that, but a lot of the studies she ran in her lab had to do with exercise and how you physiologically respond to exercise, in combination with different goals. So if your goals change how does that affect your physiological exercise. So that really intrigues me, being an athlete. I don't know, I think I definitely want to do something with that looking at maybe a Master's program in maybe applied psychology or getting a PhD down the road.
SB:I'm not super familiar with psychology so what do jobs normally look like in that field?
RE:Psychology is a super broad major and everyone asks me that question, my grandma is always asking how I'm going to find a job. I think there are a lot of different things you can go into. One of the things that interests me is working with a business and working in the marketing section, but figuring out why people are attracted to a certain product and how you can change your marketing approach to make people respond in a certain way. That kind of intrigues me. That has a lot to do with psychology because it has a lot to do with unconscious thought that goes along with a buyer making decisions to buy or not buy a product. A lot of people don't realize that they spend way more time unconsciously thinking about things than they know, and that has a lot to do with how you advertise.
SB:That's cool. Would you say that your major is difficult or has been difficult to balance with athletics?
RE:Yeah, my first semester was hard just because I was adjusting, but this semester has been better. I think I'm more adjusted to being here and practice and balancing everything. My professors this semester are all really awesome. I'm excited, I'm taking another class with the same professor next semester in the psych department. I think everything has gotten easier as I've gone along figuring it out.
SB:If even a year ago you could go back and give yourself the biggest piece of advice to help yourself in terms of balancing everything, what would that be?
RE:I think the biggest thing is school comes first. A lot of times, especially being on such a good, prestigious team, you can get caught up in track, track track, just thinking about running and stuff. Obviously running is a lot more fun for me than doing school work, but the reason why I'm here is to get a degree and running comes second. So, I think it's staying on top of school so I can stay on top of track.
SB:What's been your favorite part about being here in general, as an athlete or a student?
RE:Here all my professors know my name, they check in on me and how I'm doing in track. Everyone is so involved with the students here, it's definitely more of a community feel, where people really care about your success. It's cool having that perspective though, that here people really care about me as an athlete and as a student too.
SB: What's it been like adjusting or having the challenge of being on, like you said, such a prestigious team? Just being at a place where everyone is really good at what they do, whether it's running or discus or long jump.
RE: I think it's pushed me to be better. One of our coaches was saying today in our team meeting, "You're sitting in a room with legends." Jaide [Stepter] just set a school record in the 400, fastest in USC history. That is insane, so insane. I'm sitting in a room with legends and people that are going to be in the Olympics this year and it makes me want to be a better athlete. And just seeing how well-rounded everyone is. Jaide and Tera [Novy] and other top performers, they're not just about track. They have so many other things going for them too. So just seeing that makes me even more inspired to be my best. It's been a good, positive environment.
SB: You guys have such a team feel. For a sport that's looked at as very individual, do you feel that way about this group and the other girls you're competing with?
RE: Yeah, definitely. We all have the same practice times and we're all doing different workouts, but we meet every week and we all travel together. It's definitely a team effort when it comes down to it. Watching some of my teammates run fast in a meet inspires me to run fast after them. I think everyone kind of looks to each other. Even before my race on Saturday, someone told me Tera had broken her school record again it got me so pumped.
SB: Last one. If you had to pick one goal in track, in school and also just in general for the rest of your time at USC, what would those be?
RE: I think for track, my biggest goal is to make it to NCAAs. For school, I think just finding exactly what I want to do, and then preparing for either a master's or some kind of grad school after college. Life? Hmm. I know this sounds cliche, but I just want to be happy doing something that I love, whether that be working somewhere or traveling, just finding something that makes me happy.SB:I'm not super familiar with psychology so what do jobs normally look like in that field?
RE:Psychology is a super broad major and everyone asks me that question, my grandma is always asking how I'm going to find a job. I think there are a lot of different things you can go into. One of the things that interests me is working with a business and working in the marketing section, but figuring out why people are attracted to a certain product and how you can change your marketing approach to make people respond in a certain way. That kind of intrigues me. That has a lot to do with psychology because it has a lot to do with unconscious thought that goes along with a buyer making decisions to buy or not buy a product. A lot of people don't realize that they spend way more time unconsciously thinking about things than they know, and that has a lot to do with how you advertise.
SB:That's cool. Would you say that your major is difficult or has been difficult to balance with athletics?
RE:Yeah, my first semester was hard just because I was adjusting, but this semester has been better. I think I'm more adjusted to being here and practice and balancing everything. My professors this semester are all really awesome. I'm excited, I'm taking another class with the same professor next semester in the psych department. I think everything has gotten easier as I've gone along figuring it out.
SB:If even a year ago you could go back and give yourself the biggest piece of advice to help yourself in terms of balancing everything, what would that be?
RE:I think the biggest thing is school comes first. A lot of times, especially being on such a good, prestigious team, you can get caught up in track, track track, just thinking about running and stuff. Obviously running is a lot more fun for me than doing school work, but the reason why I'm here is to get a degree and running comes second. So, I think it's staying on top of school so I can stay on top of track.
SB: What's been your favorite part about being here in general, as an athlete or a student?
RE:Here all my professors know my name, they check in on me and how I'm doing in track. Everyone is so involved with the students here, it's definitely more of a community feel, where people really care about your success. It's cool having that perspective though, that here people really care about me as an athlete and as a student too.
SB:What's it been like adjusting or having the challenge of being on, like you said, such a prestigious team? Just being at a place where everyone is really good at what they do, whether it's running or discus or long jump.
RE: I think it's pushed me to be better. One of our coaches was saying today in our team meeting, "You're sitting in a room with legends." Jaide [Stepter] just set a school record in the 400, fastest in USC history. That is insane, so insane. I'm sitting in a room with legends and people that are going to be in the Olympics this year and it makes me want to be a better athlete. And just seeing how well-rounded everyone is. Jaide and Tera [Novy] and other top performers, they're not just about track. They have so many other things going for them too. So just seeing that makes me even more inspired to be my best. It's been a good, positive environment.
SB: You guys have such a team feel. For a sport that's looked at as very individual, do you feel that way about this group and the other girls you're competing with?
RE: Yeah, definitely. We all have the same practice times and we're all doing different workouts, but we meet every week and we all travel together. It's definitely a team effort when it comes down to it. Watching some of my teammates run fast in a meet inspires me to run fast after them. I think everyone kind of looks to each other. Even before my race on Saturday, someone told me Tera had broken her school record again it got me so pumped.
SB: Last one. If you had to pick one goal in track, in school and also just in general for the rest of your time at USC, what would those be?
RE: I think for track, my biggest goal is to make it to NCAAs. For school, I think just finding exactly what I want to do, and then preparing for either a master's or some kind of grad school after college. Life? Hmm. I know this sounds cliche, but I just want to be happy doing something that I love, whether that be working somewhere or traveling, just finding something that makes me happy.
RE:Psychology is a super broad major and everyone asks me that question, my grandma is always asking how I'm going to find a job. I think there are a lot of different things you can go into. One of the things that interests me is working with a business and working in the marketing section, but figuring out why people are attracted to a certain product and how you can change your marketing approach to make people respond in a certain way. That kind of intrigues me. That has a lot to do with psychology because it has a lot to do with unconscious thought that goes along with a buyer making decisions to buy or not buy a product. A lot of people don't realize that they spend way more time unconsciously thinking about things than they know, and that has a lot to do with how you advertise.
SB:That's cool. Would you say that your major is difficult or has been difficult to balance with athletics?
RE:Yeah, my first semester was hard just because I was adjusting, but this semester has been better. I think I'm more adjusted to being here and practice and balancing everything. My professors this semester are all really awesome. I'm excited, I'm taking another class with the same professor next semester in the psych department. I think everything has gotten easier as I've gone along figuring it out.
SB:If even a year ago you could go back and give yourself the biggest piece of advice to help yourself in terms of balancing everything, what would that be?
RE:I think the biggest thing is school comes first. A lot of times, especially being on such a good, prestigious team, you can get caught up in track, track track, just thinking about running and stuff. Obviously running is a lot more fun for me than doing school work, but the reason why I'm here is to get a degree and running comes second. So, I think it's staying on top of school so I can stay on top of track.
SB:What's been your favorite part about being here in general, as an athlete or a student?
RE:Here all my professors know my name, they check in on me and how I'm doing in track. Everyone is so involved with the students here, it's definitely more of a community feel, where people really care about your success. It's cool having that perspective though, that here people really care about me as an athlete and as a student too.
SB: What's it been like adjusting or having the challenge of being on, like you said, such a prestigious team? Just being at a place where everyone is really good at what they do, whether it's running or discus or long jump.
RE: I think it's pushed me to be better. One of our coaches was saying today in our team meeting, "You're sitting in a room with legends." Jaide [Stepter] just set a school record in the 400, fastest in USC history. That is insane, so insane. I'm sitting in a room with legends and people that are going to be in the Olympics this year and it makes me want to be a better athlete. And just seeing how well-rounded everyone is. Jaide and Tera [Novy] and other top performers, they're not just about track. They have so many other things going for them too. So just seeing that makes me even more inspired to be my best. It's been a good, positive environment.
SB: You guys have such a team feel. For a sport that's looked at as very individual, do you feel that way about this group and the other girls you're competing with?
RE: Yeah, definitely. We all have the same practice times and we're all doing different workouts, but we meet every week and we all travel together. It's definitely a team effort when it comes down to it. Watching some of my teammates run fast in a meet inspires me to run fast after them. I think everyone kind of looks to each other. Even before my race on Saturday, someone told me Tera had broken her school record again it got me so pumped.
SB: Last one. If you had to pick one goal in track, in school and also just in general for the rest of your time at USC, what would those be?
RE: I think for track, my biggest goal is to make it to NCAAs. For school, I think just finding exactly what I want to do, and then preparing for either a master's or some kind of grad school after college. Life? Hmm. I know this sounds cliche, but I just want to be happy doing something that I love, whether that be working somewhere or traveling, just finding something that makes me happy.SB:I'm not super familiar with psychology so what do jobs normally look like in that field?
RE:Psychology is a super broad major and everyone asks me that question, my grandma is always asking how I'm going to find a job. I think there are a lot of different things you can go into. One of the things that interests me is working with a business and working in the marketing section, but figuring out why people are attracted to a certain product and how you can change your marketing approach to make people respond in a certain way. That kind of intrigues me. That has a lot to do with psychology because it has a lot to do with unconscious thought that goes along with a buyer making decisions to buy or not buy a product. A lot of people don't realize that they spend way more time unconsciously thinking about things than they know, and that has a lot to do with how you advertise.
SB:That's cool. Would you say that your major is difficult or has been difficult to balance with athletics?
RE:Yeah, my first semester was hard just because I was adjusting, but this semester has been better. I think I'm more adjusted to being here and practice and balancing everything. My professors this semester are all really awesome. I'm excited, I'm taking another class with the same professor next semester in the psych department. I think everything has gotten easier as I've gone along figuring it out.
SB:If even a year ago you could go back and give yourself the biggest piece of advice to help yourself in terms of balancing everything, what would that be?
RE:I think the biggest thing is school comes first. A lot of times, especially being on such a good, prestigious team, you can get caught up in track, track track, just thinking about running and stuff. Obviously running is a lot more fun for me than doing school work, but the reason why I'm here is to get a degree and running comes second. So, I think it's staying on top of school so I can stay on top of track.
SB: What's been your favorite part about being here in general, as an athlete or a student?
RE:Here all my professors know my name, they check in on me and how I'm doing in track. Everyone is so involved with the students here, it's definitely more of a community feel, where people really care about your success. It's cool having that perspective though, that here people really care about me as an athlete and as a student too.
SB:What's it been like adjusting or having the challenge of being on, like you said, such a prestigious team? Just being at a place where everyone is really good at what they do, whether it's running or discus or long jump.
RE: I think it's pushed me to be better. One of our coaches was saying today in our team meeting, "You're sitting in a room with legends." Jaide [Stepter] just set a school record in the 400, fastest in USC history. That is insane, so insane. I'm sitting in a room with legends and people that are going to be in the Olympics this year and it makes me want to be a better athlete. And just seeing how well-rounded everyone is. Jaide and Tera [Novy] and other top performers, they're not just about track. They have so many other things going for them too. So just seeing that makes me even more inspired to be my best. It's been a good, positive environment.
SB: You guys have such a team feel. For a sport that's looked at as very individual, do you feel that way about this group and the other girls you're competing with?
RE: Yeah, definitely. We all have the same practice times and we're all doing different workouts, but we meet every week and we all travel together. It's definitely a team effort when it comes down to it. Watching some of my teammates run fast in a meet inspires me to run fast after them. I think everyone kind of looks to each other. Even before my race on Saturday, someone told me Tera had broken her school record again it got me so pumped.
SB: Last one. If you had to pick one goal in track, in school and also just in general for the rest of your time at USC, what would those be?
RE: I think for track, my biggest goal is to make it to NCAAs. For school, I think just finding exactly what I want to do, and then preparing for either a master's or some kind of grad school after college. Life? Hmm. I know this sounds cliche, but I just want to be happy doing something that I love, whether that be working somewhere or traveling, just finding something that makes me happy.
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