Kata Utassy

As it is in many European countries, in Hungary the expectation is that one can either be an athlete or a scholar, but never both.

However, University of Michigan water polo senior attacker Kata Utassy was not going to accept that expectation.

"I had a lot of my coaches and peers telling me that I should not be studying this hard because I'm a good player," Utassy said. "A lot of people have a hard time because at the age of 14 or 15 they kind of ask you to pick, right? And for the kids who are like me and say, 'No, I want to do both', it's really hard. Teachers are not super supportive sometimes, coaches are not super supportive sometimes -- obviously there are the good ones who are very understanding -- but sometimes they make it really hard for you."

"I had people tell me that I was a nerd for getting A's, so it's definitely not something that they encourage at home."

A double major in communication and psychology in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, Utassy has become proud of the "nerd" moniker those back home gave her, evolving from simply wanting recognition for her studies to working to establish herself as a rising star in the job market.

Before that was ever a possibility, Utassy had to grind to get the attention of coaches across the Atlantic.

"Growing up, I always wanted to come and study in the U.S. at some point," Utassy said. "My best bet for that came when I was on the Hungarian Junior National Team going to the World Championships. That summer, I was like, 'This is my chance to reach out to colleges.' I didn't really understand the U.S. system of water polo at the time, so I had to do some digging between the NCAA and the specific conferences, and I reached out to the top 10 teams on the rankings I could find, just trying to get a chance.

"I think I only had one official visit, which was with Michigan. So I think the fact that I could come and experience just the whole vibe of the campus and meet the team, see the pool, basically really get a feel for the power of the block M, that balance of like athletics and academics, I felt like we were just like clicking with the main values I was looking for."

Much like her journey to Michigan, Utassy's academic path has had twists and turns. This time, help came to her in the form of her academic advisor.

"I started off wanting to do psychology, but then I realized that if I go home -- which was the original plan four years ago -- I would have to do more studying and more exams to prove that I actually learned about psychology. And I was like, 'I don't want to have to prove that I actually did study in the U.S.'" Utassy said. "My academic advisor at the time suggested that I should try to do the communication track. And I remember I was kind of mad at her for that. I didn't know if I wanted to do communications. But then junior year, I realized that I basically have most of the credits for both. And because I'm interested in both and I'm kind of good at both, I declared for the second major. I felt like having those two, especially from Michigan, like, why not? So I just went for it."

When discussing her post-graduate plans, Utassy expressed an all too familiar anxiety many international students share in needing to find a work visa to stay in the country she's made home.

"So the thought of graduating kind of scares me. It feels like it's flown by and I'm like, 'Oh God, like it's so close,'" Utassy said. "But, yeah, I've been actively job searching for like ever since the beginning of the school year. Being an international student, it is definitely challenging. The last time I had to fight this hard for something was maybe getting into Michigan. I've been looking more on the sales and marketing track just because I really think that sales and marketing is like the cross-section of communication and psychology. At the end of the day, the way you phrase something or the way you put something in a commercial at a specific time makes a difference, and I love that. I really like to create something and see how that impacts people.

"I also have been playing with the thought of maybe doing something like HR or academic advising. I applied to some of those because I love working with people, and figuring out like, 'Oh, I have this person who is great at these these things and maybe not super great at other stuff, what is the position that would work well for them?'"

Keeping with the spirit of perseverance that has defined her journey to and at Michigan, Utassy's advice was simple -- never say no to help.

"I think I would tell them to use your resources as much as you possibly can and talk to people, because they usually have the solution one way or the other to your problem -- either if that's experience or knowing somebody or something that you don't. Just keep, keep persevering. It's going to work out, just keep pushing."