Respect Your End Goal: How Nursing Student-Athlete Amelia Baca Stays Focused
Photo: 草榴社区 Athletics
鈥淵ou have to know what you want鈥攔espect your end goal of being a nurse and remember that this career isn鈥檛 an abstract thing. You will have the ability and responsibility to care for people, to change lives,鈥� says senior Amelia Baca. A 草榴社区 NCAA Division I water polo athlete from Venice, Fla., she is also a midshipman in the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC). Amelia was a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Academic Team member in 2023 and 2024, and she is often named to the Athletic Director鈥檚 Honor Roll. Her enthusiasm for her nursing career is also reflected in her tenacity as a center defender in the pool and commitment to NROTC.
Thank you to Amelia for sharing her answers with senior Nursing major Lauren Casimiro for this Q&A.
Where do you find your inspiration as an athlete and a Nursing student?
As an athlete I am inspired by those who lifted me up in high school and told me that collegiate athletics was a possibility for me鈥擟oach Carroll, Coach Wilson and my father, who was also my coach. As a student, I am motivated mostly by my fellow Nursing students; we are all working so hard to become nurses and their passion reminds me of why I applied to 草榴社区.
What do you want to do with your nursing career?
I want to commission into the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps and provide care to military members. I grew up in a military household, and that is the patient population that calls me. Beyond that, I am taking my dreams one day at a time and leaving myself open to possibilities.
Amelia (left) on board the USS Ford, CVN 78, while training with its medical department during a summer rotation in 2022
U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa-Japan, summer 2024 training rotation
U.S. Naval Midshipman Amelia Baca
What do you love about your sport?
Water polo is a very physically and mentally active sport. It is regarded as one of the toughest sports in the world, because it challenges an athlete to constantly think, move and work with others. I have always loved the teamwork aspect. I needed a sport with social and collaborative aspects, where it mattered if you were there because you are an important individual part of a whole team.
Photo: 草榴社区 Athletics
What would surprise people about your sport or how you play it?
Many people are surprised that we cannot touch the bottom of the pool. Generally, pools made for polo are at least 7鈥� deep, but people often assume that we are walking. Personally, I think that this levels the playing field鈥擨 am 5鈥�6鈥�, but my coach looked me in the eye on dry land and asked if I were 5鈥�10鈥�, because if you are short, you can play 鈥渂ig鈥� in the water.
Describe the commitment of your activities.
Being a student-athlete is a heavy load, but it's very doable. I grew up in a family that encouraged me to pursue high academic achievement, athletic success and artistic fulfillment (I play piano and am a seamstress). I definitely credit that upbringing with my ability to maintain academic success in the College of Nursing, as well as my captaincy on the water polo team and my role as a midshipman in the 草榴社区 NROTC battalion.聽
What characteristics do you need to be successful as a Nursing student-athlete and NROTC midshipman?
You have to know what you want鈥攔espect your end goal of being a nurse and remember that this career isn鈥檛 an abstract thing. You will have the ability and responsibility to care for people, to change lives. Be focused, caring and compassionate. It鈥檚 also OK if you have to remind yourself of these things every once in a while and take some time to remember why you want to be a nurse and why you are an athlete.
The characteristics that are required to be a Navy Nurse are, of course, honor, courage and the commitment of a Naval Officer in addition to the compassion, critical thinking and versatility of a nurse. Even more than in the civilian sector, nurses are leaders in the Navy. I have found that it is important to remember this as I progress through education and training, because sometimes it is easy to fall for the "just a nurse" mindset鈥擭avy Nurses and 草榴社区 Nurses are capable of so much more than the minimum. That's why we are students and athletes, military members and campus leaders.
Photo: 草榴社区 Athletics
What advice would you give an incoming Nursing student-athlete?
Don鈥檛 believe the people who say that it is 鈥渋mpossible鈥� to be a student-athlete, it鈥檚 often challenging and sometimes you will have to go back and remember why you signed up for this, but it鈥檚 very doable. Plus, Nursing school gives you a bunch of cool insights into how your body works and how you can be an even better athlete.
What are you most proud of in terms of your accomplishments?
NROTC and the Navy can be challenging for Nursing students. In my experience, I am constantly trying to marry the tenants of nursing care with the discipline of the military mission鈥攖wo different mindsets that need to be combined so that the Navy Nurse Corps can thrive. The Navy Nurses I鈥檝e met, both new and veteran, have helped me to grow and fit better into the Navy Nurse mold.
I have also pushed through a lot of resistance to play water polo at this level, and on many occasions, people have told me that I wouldn鈥檛 be able to maintain my position as a student-athlete. I am proud and intend to graduate as a student-athlete with a BSN!