LIVE EVENT: Balance

Live from the University of San Diego. There's more! Hello and welcome to a new episode of There's More Live. We're talking about experiences that have reminded us the importance of balance. We're talking about new experiences, new places, new people, and we're talking about finding our boundaries. This year, There's More is taking a new turn in being all student stories. I am Cape Ereg, your host for this month's episode. To get us started, we have Jordan Daly, a freshman hoping to major in environmental science. His story is about entering into the bull pit. Hello everybody. My name is Jordan Daly back in high school. I was very capable of academics. I had straight-aids in most of my four years since. I was involved in a few clubs like the Bay Club and Volunteer Club. But I thought those involvements were not enough for me. So I wanted to do more. Find a supportive community and grow personally and professionally. I chose to enroll at USD as a first-generation student. I moved in on August 16, 2025 for the Black Summer Immersion and Summer Bridge, where I got acclimated to campus early and made a lot of friends. I was hopeful that I would have an amazing first year as I have strong support from student support services in USD as a whole. As a matter of fact, I was fantasized by the fact that's because I was in USD. I would be safe in sound, but I forgot this is college where everything was all on me. Following my family's departure, I was very homesick. A huge wave of sadness suddenly struck me on the unites where I was overwhelmed to the blasting music and the flashing lights. And I was generally overwhelmed all throughout Ola weekend. I had met a lot of students in my living learning community though, but I didn't skip most of their Instagrams nor phone numbers nor did I initiate hangouts due to the fear of rejection. I was taking five courses. I was originally going to take five courses at the start of my all semester. My most difficult course was my LLC, intro to American politics. I read the syllabus of the class and I never knew what it would be a pain until I flunked the first few quizzes. I was also struggling in two of my courses, dynamic earth and algebraic reasoning. I had pushed myself to succeed in those classes until the start of midterm. And I have I have yet to improve. I had interest in joining clubs, especially a fraternity alpha-tomega, but is involvement my top priority at USD? Is it the number one important thing for me? Education is so I tried to pass my midterm. I rejected those opportunities to pass my focus on passing my classes so I could be in good standing. The night before my dynamic earth, dynamic earth midterm, I was cooped in the library, isolated from my peers and roommates. I repeatedly skims through the lecture slides tremendously before my eyes shrank and my mind shut down. I wasn't ready for that midterm, but I took it anyway. I ultimately realized that mental health is my top priority. I had to cut down to four classes in order to conserve it. I couldn't drop my other four classes because they are my core requirements, but the one that I had to withdraw from was Christian Changemakers. I felt guilty for this withdrawal, but I carried on with my other midterms, which I was too late to study for. From exam to exam, I pushed through while drowning in exhaustion. One week later, I got my results for my midterms and I was dismayed about them, especially my politics midterm. My GPA, it probably dipped below a 2.0 and I was worried about being on probation. So I reluctantly walked to the SSS office to see my retention specialist. I anxiously revealed to my midterm scores to him. He did not lash out. He didn't punish me. He didn't do any of those things. All he did was remind me to utilize my resources and work with the tutors to improve my academic performance. So I began to form study groups for my courses, while using my resources at the Math Learning Center, Writing Center, and more. I took breaks from academics by reconnecting to the USD community and my LLC, participating in dorm events, going to the gym and hanging out with friends. My performance, my academic performance in GPA improved. As I got better scores on my exams, especially politics quizzes. No, on finals week, I started using Google Calendar for the first time. I made a schedule for myself consisting of office hours, breaks, study times, etc. I also used Quizlet to help me study. Some of my finals were difficult, but I eventually passed all my courses with the GPA of 2.97. It wasn't a perfect 4.0, but I learned that balance isn't about skating straight-aids while doing everything alone. It is about knowing your limits and asking for help. All it takes is reaching out to thrive as a student. It can be scary, but it takes practice. [Applause] Thank you, Jordan, for sharing your story. And for reminding all of us to check back in with ourselves to make sure we truly are finding balance. Our next speaker is Azra Denani. She is a junior and she is a major in architecture. A fun fact about her is that she has a tattoo that represents her love for Olive Garden. Her story is called Making My Own Experience. Recently, last semester, I went abroad to Madrid. And before I left, everyone had given me the same advice. I had a few friends who studied abroad as well. And the advice they gave me was, "Go out every night, sleep when you're dead, school doesn't matter." And when I arrived, that's what I went in believing. However, I had to do it all, and within 24 hours, I realized just how wrong they were. On Monday, August 25, 2025, I flew to Madrid with my roommate. And that was an extremely long day because we landed in the morning after about 13 hours in the air and a five hour layover. We then had met our host Mom. Talked to her for a little bit. We got about an hour to unpack. We went for some lunch out with her. And then I met my other roommates that day. And we bought some toiletries at the Spanish supermarket. And then came back, ate dinner, and got ready to go out. Mind you, one thing to keep in mind is in Europe, going out, you roughly get to the bars of the clubs around 12 a.m. 1 a.m. And you don't come back till at least 4 a.m. So the night that we landed, my friends and I had gone to the biggest club in Madrid, and we stayed out until about 4 a.m. The next day was orientation. And we had to wake up at 8 a.m. And mind you, I love my beauty sleep. So I'm not a morning person being on 4 hours of sleep while dealing with jet lag is not exactly the position that anybody wants to be in. Then during our orientation, we had faculty telling us a bunch of Spanish laws, school rules, what our everyday life would look like. And the last hour of our orientation, we had a hour city walking tour of Madrid. This had to be one of the worst experiences I had abroad. And it was my first day. I say this just because of how hot it was that day. Close your eyes and try to imagine this. It's 4 p.m. and you're heading outside in a group of 30 students all listening to some lady that you don't know while you have to follow her around a brand new city in a foreign country that you'll be living in for the next four months. You're on about 4 hours of sleep after a night out. unlike one that you've ever experienced before. You have no water because you came unprepared, and the sun is out blaring the 90-degree sun rays down your back. As you walk up those up and downhill streets of Madrid, which are very crowded. It was one of those hot days which we all know, where if anyone tries to even just talk to you, you somehow catch an attitude with them. And finally, just when the tour is done, and you're drenched in your own sweat, you have to ride a 20-minute metro ride back home with a bunch of plenty of other sweaty strangers squish next to you. That same night, my roommates wanted to go out again, but I just couldn't. I had to say no to them, especially because we had to be up even earlier the next morning, because the school was taking us on a school trip to Valencia. I knew I was going to experience FOMO, fear of missing out. However, I also knew I would be better slept than my roommates for an even longer day the next day. So as my three roommates were getting dressed, doing their makeup, they were chatting, all in the other room, I was in my room. In my PJs, watching TikToks and snacking on some munchoklets I just bought from the Spanish supermarket. I fell asleep roughly an hour after they had left the house, and they were out for about four hours. The next morning, I was the first one up and out of bed, first one out the door, I was already. For them, it was a little bit more difficult. They were still finishing up packing and almost made themselves late to catch our bus. Thankfully, though, we didn't, but I definitely had a much easier morning than they did. Which made, in the end, the rest of my day much better than theirs, and that was definitely beneficial for a five-hour road trip. After I had learned to set my phone aside, that whole trip to Valencia and Barcelona at the beginning of the semester had set the tone for how I wanted to organize my nights while having school in the mornings and the afternoons while also wanting to go out with my friends at night and explore the cities. I played my cards carefully by doing different activities other than just partying. We're going out or not staying out late. We're just having one wild night a week. After returning from that school trip, classes had then began, meaning so did my abroad journey. My average week had looked like going to class Monday through Thursday and going out about two to three times a week. On the weekends, my friends and I, we would travel to a new city or a new country, but you're probably wondering, "Azra, how did you still manage to travel most weekends while going to school?" Well, to specifically answer this question, my answer relates back to what I said about balancing activities and spending time with your friends in a new city. I learned that there were other ways aside from just partying that would make my abroad experience. In addition to that, FOMO is natural, but we'll soon go away once you realize that you, the person who stayed in one night to get some rest will be happier than the person who didn't. And by doing this, missing out on some nights, my days were better, allowing me to be happy and present while experiencing these new cities and countries. By the end of my 17 weeks abroad, I had visited six cities in Spain and 11 countries, one being in a new continent. Not only did I learn about how to balance fun and school, but I also learned that in order to make positive memories that we wish to look back on, we must actually be happy while creating them. And that is only done if our physical and mental health are thriving. So if I could leave you with anything, I would leave you with this. Put your mind and body first in order to build an experience worth admiring. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] Thank you, Azra, for sharing your story. And for reminding us all how important it is to stick up for ourselves and what we know will work best for us. Our next student speaker is Kate Bureg, myself. I'm a senior, my major is neuroscience. And a fun fact about me is that I won the Intermural Pickleball League last year. The title of my story is The Rhythm of Resilience. I want to take you back to two years ago. I'm 19. I'm a sophomore, and I'm a division one rower. That's right. The girl you see before you was a D1 athlete. Albia, I was a walk-on. So for those of you who don't know, a walk-on means, at least in the terms of rowing, you literally have never done the sport before. You don't know what it is, but you're crazy enough to think that your varsity volleyball experience in high school means that you have a shot at rowing. So I joined as a freshman, and during my sophomore year, I was a fully fledged member of the USD Division I Women's Rowing team. I would wake up every morning before dawn to join my team on the water, and we would rope past sea world while dolphins in sea swam by. In September of 2023, I realized the very honest truth. Rowing is incredibly difficult. The rowing team practiced six days a week Monday through Saturday. And every morning, we would go on the water, starting at 5am, and typically ending at 8am. On the water, you row against one another. They put you in different boats and to see who can row the fastest. I was always in the slowest boat. But every morning, I'd get up at 4.45 and get in the man, van. One time, even showing up in pajamas, because there's nothing like accidentally missing a practice in the coach having to send you the most passive aggressive message. Now, in addition to every morning going on the water, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we would do cross training. During dead hours, we would run, swim, bike, or ERG. ERGing is land rowing on those machines in the gym that no one ever uses, where the seat goes back and forth. Then on Monday and Wednesday and Friday, we would have an hour of weightlifting in a very small gym. And on Saturday, if we were lucky, we didn't have any additional training, and we just got to go on the boat in the water. Well, one Tuesday, my coach called me in, sat me down, and said, Kate, I love having you on this team, because you set the tone for everybody else. Since you are last, last in our rowing numbers, last in our lifting numbers, and last in our ERGing numbers, you set the tone for the rest of the team, because no one wants to be in your position. You push them all to be better by being the worst. Man, that's not even a nice way of saying you suck. He tried. He failed. So I'm in shock. I swallow hard. I mumble a quick thanks. And I leave, obviously, taking a back. I'm 19. I'm giving you my best in a sport I have literally never done before this year. That night, I found myself walking across the parking lot to attend my very beginner yoga class. On the yoga mat, I was just another inflexible undergrad. The yoga mat allowed me one hour with uninterrupted access to my stream of consciousness, particularly in my favorite yoga pose, Shavasana, the one where you just lay on your back, pretend like you're not sleeping, but you most definitely are. I found myself thinking about this conversation I had had with my coach, and how freaking terrible it was. And also, how tomorrow we had a two by six K test. What's a two by six K might be wondering? It's where we get on those land-roaring machines the ERGs, and we row 6,000 meters twice back to back, roughly an hour of intense exercise. Now, knowing that I am the worst on the team, I have made the decision that tomorrow I will wake up with superhuman capabilities and prove him completely wrong. I will not be the worst. So the next morning, I put on my Lululemon shorts, and I walk over. And about 2,000 meters into the first six K, I realize I most definitely am the worst on the team. But I also cannot breathe very well, and my heart seems to be beating unreasonably fast. And the room feels a lot hotter than normal. These concerning thoughts are swiftly drained out by the bright fluorescent lights, and the cocksins screaming at us to go faster, faster, faster. And the speakers are blaring house music. Another 2,000 meters go by, and I'm starting to feel pretty light-headed. Starting to feel really light-headed. And I cannot seem to catch my breath the life of me, no matter how hard I try. The yelling is getting drowned out by my increasingly loud panic thoughts. Am I OK? I don't feel OK. But I only have 1,560 meters to go. So I will be OK. Finally, by the blessings of some deity out there, the test is over. I take all of what's left of my strength, my muscle, my mind, to crawl off the irgue, and to crawl down a set of stairs into the gym. My legs are burning and feel like mush at the same time. My eyes hurt every time I open them. I sit against the wall, and I officially cannot breathe. I cannot breathe in. I cannot breathe out. And my heart hurts. Am I having a heart attack? The coach comes out and goes, what's wrong with you? I can't answer him, because I literally cannot breathe. I am starting to get worried about the feeling of my heart. My heart is aching, a deep, deep ache. They call the athletic trainer, and I am shut fulled off in a fancy little golf cart down the hill. They test me for all of these things, and they say, we actually want you to see a specialist. Thus begins my month-long journey with specialists. I get tested for asthma by running up pill on treadmills connected to EKGs. I do various breathing tests. I get an echocardiogram. I'm given two inhalers, and I wear a 48-hour heart monitor. While I'm talking to this very kind Polish woman about her journey into becoming an echocardiogram [BLANK_AUDIO] "I realize, why am I here? I'm 19 and getting an echo of my heart. I've never needed an echo before. I've never needed an inhaler before. I've never needed any of these things before." When the doctor came in, he was kind, and he said, "Oh, this is typical for D1 athletes, you know, to get diagnosed with exercise and do stasma. It's more intense than anything you've ever done before." Which was accurate. However, why am I doing it? What am I getting out of being the worst on the team? It's definitely not good grades. It's definitely not good sleep. And it's for sure not making lifelong friendships. I began to ponder what would life be like if I decided, no more. What does that say about me? Does it say that I'm a quitter? But I can't take it when things get hard. That a little health scare is going to scare me off. Now, I start to go down the self-talk rabbit hole of how I'm not a quitter and how I can bounce back from this. And it dawns on me that I'm okay with being a quitter, because it's not a nice team. It's not a nice environment, and I'm not getting anything from it. I decide that I will be speaking to my coach. Now this part's not very interesting. I just go in and I say, "Nah, I don't think my future is enrolling." And he goes, "That's so unfortunate. I really hope to see you grow." Huh? You wanted me to stay the worst for your freaking team to make sure everyone else didn't get worse than me. It's the worst role to play for a team. I quit. And I still found myself faced with all of these questions of whether or not I truly was a quitter. But now I was facing them with eight hours of sleep. Sometimes nine, sometimes 10. Flash forward two years later, I'm a senior college, and I've never been happier with my decision. I don't need to be a rower to win the Intermural Pickleball League. Sure, I need an inhaler now. I don't need to be a rower to the president of two clubs that I adore. To give back to a community in a way that, "Well, rowing just never would have." I don't need to be a rower to be proud of my academic accomplishments. And I definitely don't need to be a rower to be a broadcast producer. A love that I would not have discovered if not for quitting the rowing team two years ago. Now this may not at all seem about balance, but I must say I can get to the epitome of balance. Balance is not constantly staying afloat. Balance is in fact that feeling that you have an encapsizing boat, where you can either fall in despite your best effort, or lean, lean, lean, lean, lean, and hope desperately that the boat stays afloat. I fell in. I fell in to Mission Bay. But getting out of the boat taught me a whole lot about who I am, who I want to be, and how I want to show up. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you all for listening to this month's episode. Of There's More about Balance. I want to take a quick moment to say thank you to our sponsors, the Humanity Center, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Changemaker Hub, the Media Center, and for the two student producers, myself, Kate Bureg, and Shannon Lomqueco.