Pavla Brachova

In her third year on the tennis team, Pavla Brachova has traveled for fun and competition with the team to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Chicago, and St. Louis. “With the team, I have gotten the opportunity to go places that I would have never gone otherwise,” says the Czech Republic native. “This is mostly during spring break but also block breaks.”

Brachova was attracted to Cornell for One-Course-At-A-Time, but once on campus to visit, she says, “I fell in love with the campus, atmosphere, and tennis team here at Cornell.”

Now the top women’s tennis player, Brachova discovered that OCAAT isn’t just a great learning style for her—it works well for student-athletes.

“I think the best thing about being a student-athlete here is focusing on one class lets us spend more time being an athlete, and it also ensures we have enough time to get school work done. OCAAT is perfect for student-athletes,” she says. “Plus, I am very competitive and by being on the team I can continue to improve and play the game I love.”

She also finds herself busy with Lunch Buddies, intramural sports and the College Republicans, with Lunch Buddies leaving an impression. “I know I am making a difference in my 4th grader’s life,” she says. “It is a very good feeling to know I am making an impact like that.”

Looking beyond Cornell, a chemistry course with Professor Craig Teague helped solidify her plans. “Sciences have always been a passion of mine, but he made the class even more interesting and fun,” she says. “He helped me gain the confidence I needed to continue with sciences and purse a career in veterinary medicine.”