For Oberlin College swimmer Olivia Degitz, everything seemed to fall into place for her to succeed and be involved in everything that mattered to her.
 
A double-degree student who is majoring in viola performance in the conservatory and a pre-med student in the college, Degitz is also considering a history major or minor.
 
While not in the classroom or holed up in a conservatory practice room, the sophomore is either setting records in the swimming pool or serving as a tour guide and overnight host for the college.
 
"I had to learn how to manage my time really well, really quickly," said Degitz, "but I couldn't imagine my life if it weren't this busy. I love everything I'm doing, so it makes it that much easier."
 
Her passion for the medical field has come from her real life experiences, dating back to when she was 13 and involved in an accident at summer camp.
 
"I got hit in the head with a tree branch and suffered a traumatic brain injury."
 
Degitz had a severe concussion and suffered from post-concussion syndrome. For nine months, she suffered from side effects, including chronic headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light and noise, memory loss, and irritability.
 
The road back to the pool was a long and challenging one for Degitz. She was limited to only five minutes of swimming a day. Despite that, she was insistent on her parents driving her to practice everyday.
 
"That whole experience made me tough and put a lot into perspective about injuries and life in general," she said. "It also gave me the drive to work with others who have suffered concussions."
 
While in high school in Columbus, Ohio, Degitz interned with the head of the concussion sports program at The Ohio State University. They did a study on concussion-testing equipment, working with the school's rugby teams.
 
"Our study highlighted the importance of baseline balance testing for the return-to-play protocol. It was a really cool experience that got me interested in sports medicine and working with athletes who have suffered from concussions."
 
It was actually her own concussion that forced Degitz to make the switch from playing violin to viola.
 
"The high frequency of the e-string on the violin hurt my head, so I decided to try out the viola and quickly fell in love with it. Most importantly, it didn't bother my head the way the violin did."
 
When trying to decide where to attend college, Degitz looked for a place where she could not only swim, but also pursue her academics and study viola.
 
As a junior in high school, she began making the trip from Columbus to Oberlin to take viola lessons from Peter Slowik, director of the conservatory's division of strings.  Working with Prof. Slowik gave Olivia a great sense of what it would be like to be an Oberlin student, and also gave the conservatory a clearer picture of her capabilities.  
 
"After Mr. Slowik told me I could be in his studio and I found out I could do a double degree and swim, I was totally sold," said Degitz. "Oberlin has given me everything I could have wanted from a school and more."

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