Liberal Arts gymnast balances on the beam and in the classroom

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Isabella Salcedo, a third-year student in the integrated undergraduate-graduate degree program in Spanish and human resources and employment relations, balances a full course load as a gymnast for Penn State Athletics.

Salcedo has been a gymnast since she was 5 years old. Because she wanted to make it to the collegiate level of gymnastics, she and her family opted for homeschooling through her high school years so she would have more time in the gym to train and focus on being recruited.

“Once I found my footing in gymnastics, becoming a Division I athlete was my biggest goal,” Salcedo said. “I wanted to continue to have gymnastics as an outlet, and the scholarship aspect, which alleviated financial burdens from my parents, was a huge reason for my decision.”

With her Hispanic background, Salcedo, who was born in California and raised in Dallas, Texas, always knew she wanted to major in Spanish so she could serve and represent underprivileged communities and be a support system for individuals without one.

“I like learning why people speak Spanish in the different ways they do,” Salcedo said. “It is also interesting to learn how nonnative Spanish speakers learn Spanish and how that translates to native speakers.”

Although it is a lot to juggle, Salcedo said she enjoys being constantly busy and doing things like homework, practice or hanging out with friends. However, she does encourage other student-athletes to take advantage of resources that the College of the Liberal Arts and Penn State Athletics provide.

She said her busy schedule in high school and the support from the College of the Liberal Arts made the transition smoother than anticipated. Having the previous experience of managing her time and teaching herself academic material while being homeschooled also made the transition easier.

“When I became a college athlete, there was for sure a different transition of making sure that I could balance both my course load and athletics,” Salcedo said. “But, there are so many people here who are more than willing to give you everything they have to help you if you need it and ask for it.”

Having to travel to other Big Ten schools for competitions, she said her professors have all been very understanding of her schedule. Keeping clear communication with professors has been the key to her success as a student-athlete.

Although it can get hectic and stressful, these travel days are some of her favorite parts of being a gymnast. The gymnastics team sees it as another time to bond and connect.

“We get to go to so many different places, and it is a nice opportunity to have the whole team together,” Salcedo said. “Even if it is an early wake-up or a late night, we always have a lot of fun on the road together.”

Having support and guidance from the women on her team is an aspect that positively impacted Salcedo’s time as a college gymnast. Growing up, Salcedo continuously heard stereotypical ideas about boys being inherently better at sports than girls. However, as a young girl, she understood this was not true and realized the importance of women and girls in sports.

As an adult athlete now, she hopes to teach young girls that they can do whatever they put their minds to. Whenever she is at a meet, she said she always scans the crowd for any kids present and tries to talk to them or even give a simple high-five.

“I always keep in mind that maybe I could spark someone's passion or inspiration for the sport,” Salcedo said. “I am not just a gymnast for myself anymore — I do it for the young girls who look up to me as a role model.”

Salcedo said there will always be challenges that come with the responsibilities of being a student-athlete, but staying positive and giving yourself grace when needed is imperative.

“We are not superhuman, and we are going to need help at some point,” Salcedo said. “College is a learning period of life. Learning more about yourself is bound to happen.”