Blog
Beyond the Podium: Meet Team USA's 2024 Olympians in STEM
In the world of sports, Olympians are often celebrated for their physical prowess, dedication, and remarkable achievements. However, some of these exceptional athletes are also making significant strides in another demanding field: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Balancing the rigorous training schedules and competitive pressures of being an Olympian with the intellectual challenges of STEM careers is no small feat.
Check out some of the diverse Olympians who are competing in the 2024 Olympics while also making waves in STEM!
Maria Liana Mutia
Para Judo
Maria is one of the top paralympic judo athletes in the world, using her career as a software analyst at Comcast to propel her to the top. She wakes up at 6 am every morning to exercise and scout her opponents, making complex spreadsheets to analyze their techniques, and goes to work from 9 am until 6 pm. The blind judoka then practices for two hours when she gets home. Maria is able to use her knowledge of software and data to manipulate the stats of her opponents to find their weaknesses, enjoying finding the patterns and predicting how a match will play out.
Naomi Girma
Soccer
The 2023 U.S. Soccer’s Female Player of the Year is competing in her first Olympics this year. In between defending the goal and spending time with her first-generation Ethiopian parents in California, Naomi is pursuing her master’s degree in management science and engineering at Stanford University. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Symbolic Systems (a major that combines humanities and technology) from Standford with near-perfect grades, Naomi is seen as both a genius scientist and an incredible soccer player.
Yaseen El-Demerdash
Para Swimming
Although he’s only 20 years old, Yaseen is an avid swimmer, an aspiring mechanical engineer, and the co-founder of Heartland STEM Inc. With Heartland STEM, the startup he co-founded with his robotics team in Kansas, Yaseen advocates and raises money to provide opportunities for students in his area interested in STEM. He currently attends the University of Kansas, studying engineering and business.
Lee Kiefer
Fencing
Lee is a second-generation Philipino-American and the most decorated women’s foil fencer in U.S. history. She’s competed in the Summer Olympics since 2012, but when she’s not practicing, she‘s a medical student at the University of Kentucky. Her husband is also an Olympic fencer and is in medical school, making them the ultimate power couple!
Maggie Steffans
Water Polo
On top of being the United States water polo team captain, Maggie has combined her knowledge of data and tech with her passion for sport to co-found 6-8 Sports, Inc., a youth athlete performance analytics company that uses AI and machine learning to develop training plans. Maggie’s father, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and her older sister both played water polo, inspiring her to pursue the sport professionally.
Gabby Thomas
Track and Field
When she’s not training for the 100m relay or the 200m run, Gabby volunteers at the Volunteer Healthcare Clinic in Austin, Texas. With a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology and global health from Harvard and a master’s in epidemiology from the University of Texas Health Science Center, she has a passion for providing and advocating for healthcare for marginalized communities.
The Olympians of Team USA are not only exceptional athletes but also passionate scientists, engineers, and tech innovators. Their dedication to both their sport and their STEM careers is a powerful reminder that it’s possible to excel in multiple areas and pursue various interests. Whether you’re striving for gold in the lab or on the field, remember that following your dreams and embracing all your passions can lead to extraordinary achievements. Keep pushing boundaries, exploring new horizons, and never stop believing in your potential to make a difference in the world.