Senior tennis stand-out has sights on graduation

Steven Melendez // Contributing Writer

Graduation can be one of the most exciting times of the year for college students. With so many possibilities ahead, senior tennis player Nina Nagode finds herself in this situation as she is graduating this upcoming December.

“I want to finish this last semester successfully with good grades,” said Nagode. “I’m not going to train anymore since this is my last season, but I still want to keep in touch with the girls and help the coach if she needs it.”

Nagode is still interested in helping out the tennis team in any way she can. Her assisting the team can set her up for her major in physical therapy. She said she is currently doing pre-requisites for physical therapy and her goal is to obtain her doctorate degree.

When talking about continuing her career as a tennis player, Nagode said that she does not want to continue as a player, but would like to be involved as a coach. Her passion for the sport, she said, is incredible, and when asked what is the one thing she’ll miss most about FIU, she said tennis.

The Slovenia native expressed the bond she made with her teammates and coaches as the thing she’ll cherish the most from her time playing for FIU.

Students are expected to have a lot of memories upon graduation, but there is one that sticks out the most for Nagode.

“When I first got here,” Nagode said, “I had left my country and my family there, so that was definitely the hardest thing for me to do. But if I could make this decision again, I would do it the same. I’ve learned so much here.”