Preparing for Life After UD: Kayla Borrero
4/29/2022
Kayla Borrero, a senior captain on the women’s swimming team, knew she wanted to be a mechanical engineering major before she even arrived to campus her freshman year. Her time on the swim team has given her some of the best friends she’s ever had and has prepared her for life after she graduates on May 27.
When did you know?
I decided I wanted to be a mechanical engineering major probably going into freshman year before I'd even gotten accepted. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do biology and go into med school or do mechanical engineering, but I was a biology major first semester freshman year. Mechanical engineering was kind of the most diverse option to me. I had the option to try medical school, but if I didn't want to do that with biology, I would have limited options. So, then I decided to go with mechanical engineering. I could still do med school if I wanted to, add a bunch of classes, and do all the extra work, or I would have a full career with mechanical engineering and have so many different career paths to choose from. I think especially seeing my brother graduate in mechanical engineering as a senior when I was a freshman, seeing what he was doing and finding it super cool but difficult, I wanted to give it a try to see if I could do it.
What was your favorite class?
I think my favorite class was orthopedic biomechanics, which was actually for my minor. The class was so cool because I feel like it was the first time that the labs in the class were more real-life scenarios. It wasn't just a Petri dish or a circuit board. In one lab we dissected a cow's knee, and later in the semester used the tendons to perform sutures to see how it affected their strength. In another I put electrodes all over my body to measure the forces in my muscles while doing different exercises which was really cool because it was exercises that I have done lifting. So, I feel like that really was the best hands-on class. We would also do calculations to find out forces when you're climbing up the stairs to see forces on different knees. I thought that was cool to do calculations in class for things I do in everyday life.
How has being a part of the swim team helped prepare you for life after UD?
I think that being part of the swim team gave me a lot of grit and playing a Division I sport in general, it gives you a lot of drive and adds to your character. I feel like that perseverance makes me really motivated in more aspects of my life than just swimming. The things that matter to me I will see it through the best I can, and I think that is a very valuable personality trait. I also think that being on the team, this team specifically, allowed me to grow into the best version of myself. I don't think I could have done that anywhere else. The coaches gave me a lot of confidence in myself that I didn't know I had. When I came in my freshman year I was super reserved, I didn't talk to anyone older than me. By the end of my four years, I was the captain, and I felt like I could go up to anyone and talk to them. I grew into myself, and it was because of the team and how comfortable and confident they made me feel.
What's next?
So I have a job lined up with Terumo Cardiovascular Systems. It's a medical device company that does a lot of heart implants and they also have perfusion equipment, which is kind of like a temporary ECMO machine. It's like a bypass for your heart and lungs when people are undergoing surgery. And I'm going to be an engineer one at the company, so I'm really excited about that.
What was your favorite moment with the swim team?
Last year for the team as a whole was obviously pretty tough with COVID. Through the hardest times, I realized that I had the best support system, the best friends I've ever had and the closest friends I've ever had to family. Going through that rough time and realizing that I had something so good was the greatest feeling ever, and I'll never forget it. The amount of support that I felt through the team, I have never felt before. I feel like that was the best feeling and my favorite moment at UD.
What’s your biggest piece of advice for future Hens?
I think it's to stop and smell the roses, that was my goal for a while. I would get really caught up in the stress and anxiety and wondering can I do this? Will I be able to graduate with a mechanical engineering degree and also perform athletics at such a high level? But since I have been done swimming on the team, I do not look back at the things I was anxious about, I just miss the little everyday experiences, because you never get that time back. I feel like it's about enjoying the good sets and the bad ones and enjoying the company of your teammates through it all. The experience is really important to stop and take in and not let the hustle and bustle of everyday life distract you from the magic in each of the ordinary days, because the experience is unique and can never be recreated.
