While the 2024 Games may have drawn to a close, there are still student athletes in the College of Chemistry who daily display the same kind of discipline and resilience as any Olympian. “Being a student athlete at the University of California, Berkeley, presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities,” says gymnast and recent College of Chemistry student Jaxon Mitchell(link is external). He adds, “Balancing a rigorous academic schedule with Division I athletics can be overwhelming, but I view it as a character-building experience.”
Jaxon, who is now a student with the College of Letters & Science, began gymnastics at the age of four and quickly found a lifelong passion. He loved that the sport “offered a continuous stream of new skills to learn and obstacles to overcome.” Similarly, he found that chemistry also presented Jaxon with a continuous stream of new and complex challenges. He found a sense of familiarity in his studies.
In fact, for Jaxon, his sport and chemistry have a lot in common. “Gymnastics taught me to seek out challenges, embrace discipline, and cultivate a growth mindset. These skills provend invaluable as I navigated the demanding coursework in the College of Chemistry.”