Being a scholar-athlete at Florida Tech takes an incredible amount of hard work and dedication to excel both in the classroom and on the field. 

In this Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, we feature Panther baseball player Boris Villa, a graduate student starting pitcher from Barranquilla, Colombia. Named to the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll with a perfect 4.0 GPA following both the 2020 and 2021seasons, Villa was also named Second Team All-SSC and ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-South Region for his performance on the mound this past season. During the 2021 campaign, Villa went 4-2 in seven starts with a 3.21 earned run average, striking out 40 batters in 42 innings pitched and holding opponents to a .205 batting average. 

We sat down with Villa to talk about how he handles it all and how he plans to utilize his degree from Florida Tech after graduation.

What is your major at Florida Tech? Why did you choose this direction for your education and is this something you always wanted to pursue?
I just graduated with my bachelor's in Business Administration, and I'm pursuing my Masters in Business Administration right now. I chose this direction because business is really important right now in the world. I wanted to make an impact on others, so by having this degree, I will help others in my country when I go back. Everything is related to business like how you manage your time, how you manage others, how you manage even a game. 

Growing up in Colombia, what appealed to you about Florida Tech that made you come here?
Definitely the diversity, the location, the culture that is here at Florida Tech. There are a lot of internationals at Florida Tech and it made me very welcome. I feel at home. 

So for business classes, what's an average day of classes like for you?
Well, now it's a little bit different, but when I was in undergrad, it was that I would wake up and have three or four classes per day, then I have to work and then I have practice, which was very difficult to manage. But now that I'm in masters, I have less amount of classes at a time. I go to work I go to practice and then I go to class, which is still difficult to balance, but with all the effort, you can achieve everything.

How do you balance everything during the season? 
You just get used to it, you have to do the assignments on time whenever you have free time, just work on the things that you have to. Whenever we have to travel, try to work on the way there or on the way back. Maybe stay up a little bit later, and then just try to get whatever time you have  to do the things that you have to do to be prepared on the field and off the field as well.

You talked about being able to impact others with your business degree once you've graduated here from Florida Tech, how do you plan to apply that?
Well right now I have a foundation back home. I've been lucky like to get to play with two guys (Diego Garcia and Andres Tapia) in our team right now that are thanks to our organization. So, I just want to help others back home, that they don't have to quit school, they can continue their education and still pursue their dreams in whatever sport they want to play. Usually they have to stop studying and they specialize in that sport but then after that, they don't have anything left. So, education and sports can be related.

What are some exciting things that you've learned in your classes?
The experience, and the people that you meet, all the connections that you make. Florida Tech has small sized classes, which can help you create a connection and relationship with the professors and other students. So you can always help others. If you need something, you can always ask, they know your name, they know who you are. When I win a game, the professors send me an email, they say congratulations, which I know in another school wouldn't be like that. Florida Tech has impacted my life and I think it will continue to impact it even after graduation.

What advice would you give for prospective athletes coming here who are looking to also get a business degree?
Stay on top of the assignments, work with the professors, ask for help. We have many resources here at Florida Tech and all the professors are willing to help. Stay on top of the things that are happening in the world because even if they're happening in another country, they are going to affect us and it's going to affect business and everything we're around right now.

You were Second Team All-Sunshine State Conference last year, what are you looking forward to most in 2022?
As a team we want to qualify for the postseason and hopefully win a championship. As an individual, I want to be in the first team this year.