Florida Tech Scholar-Athlete Spotlight Recognizes Softball Player Ella Gibson
By Jerry Durney, Florida Tech News Bureau // November 27, 2022
Gibson is majoring in Information Systems
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Being a scholar-athlete at Florida Tech takes an incredible amount of hard work and dedication to excel both in the classroom and on the field.
Being a scholar-athlete at Florida Tech takes an incredible amount of hard work and dedication to excel both in the classroom and on the field.
In this Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, we are featuring Panther softball player Ella Gibson, a senior who is majoring in Psychology. A transfer from the College of San Mateo in California, Ella hit .263 with a .358 on-base percentage and 22 RBI in 49 games during the 2022 season.
The world of psychology provides so many different avenues to work in, so we talked with Ella about where she sees herself in the field and what drew her to it.
■ What’s your major at Florida Tech and why did you choose this? Is it something that you’ve always wanted to do?
My major is clinical psychology and I’m really interested in the field of psychology in general the clinical aspect is more because I just really enjoy interacting with other people.
A really big part of my personality is just making friends everywhere I go, and I think that this is a great field in which I can use that skill.
■ Transferring from a junior college on the West Coast, what was it about Florida Tech that drew you here?
So, I’m from Northern California, where it actually gets pretty cold, and when Coach Val reached out to me, I came on a visit and I loved being by the beach.
I love the weather and honestly, that’s what mostly drew me in. Of course, we have great academics here and I was really excited to learn about that, as well as the softball and athletic programs, they’re awesome. So it kind of all tied together for me in a really nice way.
■ How do you plan to use your degree after graduation?
I’m graduating in the spring, and I plan to continue my education and go to graduate school. Ultimately, I think I do want to be a clinical psychologist, but obviously I’m open to anything.
I love working with kids and just people in general. So, any field really where I can do that is something that I’m hoping to do.
■ What are some of the exciting projects that you’ve been able to work on in classes here?
What I really like is learning about specific disorders. So, my favorite class was abnormal psychology. I like learning about all the different aspects of psychology and all the little things that kind of go into what makes up the human personality and brain.
Between the busy schedule in the spring, all the practices, and road trips, how do you keep everything balanced once the season starts?
It’s tricky, but honestly, after doing it for so long, you just get used to it. What really has helped me is the support from my teammates. We come together and we have study groups together, we help each other with work.
Obviously, a lot of my teammates are STEM majors. So, they’ve all taken the same classes. I had a teammate last year who had taken similar classes to me. So, it’s really helpful that all of us can support each other in that way.
■ How has being a collegiate athlete prepared you for what you’re doing now and what do you take from the field that you apply to your studies?
One thing that I think has really stuck with me from softball is just taking the initiative and being independent. Kind of like when we’re on the field, you’re not going to wait for someone else to do something; you have to go for it and do it yourself.
That’s kind of what brings the whole team together is when everyone is just doing their job and being on top of everything, and that’s something that’s really stuck with me from being an athlete.
■ What advice would you give to an athlete coming to Florida Tech that has an interest in Psychology?
Some advice that I would give to an athlete who wants to study psychology is to just really keep an open mind in the entire field because there are so many different aspects in psychology that it’s important to pick one that really stands out to you and having an open mind is something that will just help you be able to figure out what you really want to do.
■ What have you enjoyed the most so far about your time with the softball program, and what expectations do you have for the 2023 season?
Honestly, just being part of a team is my favorite thing. I love going to the field every day and seeing my teammates. I love the energy that we all bring to the field every single day and I love our coaching staff.
I’m excited for the season because we have a lot of talent this year, and I think we’re gonna be able to do some damage.
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