Jess Buranovsky - Women's Basketball

Jess Buranovsky is a senior captain on the Carnegie Mellon women's basketball team. Jess is pursuing a degree in public policy and management.

As a student-athlete at Carnegie Mellon, the bar for success is already held high. You may instantly think the success I’m referring to is on the field or court, but success in the classroom is equally important. For basketball, we all take great pride in our academic excellence, and intend to transfer our dedication on to the court.

Before coming to Carnegie Mellon, my life as a “student-athlete” was more focused on being an athlete, rather than the combination. So during my first year as a Carnegie Mellon student-athlete, I came to the startling realization that being just an athlete wasn’t going to cut it. I even thought I couldn’t do it. The time commitment and strenuous workouts got the best of me, and I ended up quitting in order to become more focused academically. Soon after my decision, I knew that I had made a mistake and that I could be a student-athlete. I was back on the court with the team during postseason workouts.

The motivation and focus of my team pushes me and everyone else along the road to success. I love when we’re on away trips, and you sometimes feel like you can take a break from doing school work, but you go to the hotel lobby and the rest of the team is studying! I know I can’t be the slacker, so doing my work soon became a past-time during bus rides and away trips. This academic motivation has pushed my team to becoming the best academic Division III women’s basketball team in the nation. I think we all can agree that this is our greatest accomplishment…so far!

The skills I’ve gained that can’t be physically seen are those in which I can apply to everything else in life. Playing basketball at the collegiate level has given me pride, commitment, time management skills, and the chance to see places and meet people I may have never had the chance to meet otherwise. Being a part of the basketball team has also given me an edge over my competition in the job search. Many employers know that leadership and dedication come along with being a student-athlete and they prefer those skills in the workplace. This has definitely been proven true for me.

Coming back was the best thing I could have ever done, though the workouts didn’t get any easier and time commitment didn’t get any shorter. Nothing in the world can give me the feeling that I get before, during or after a competition. Though the game is a huge part of why I play, it’s not the only reason. The friendships made, times had and qualities achieved are the things that can’t be taken away, and I will never forget.