Throughout the academic year, the Southern Conference will feature a student-athlete from around the league in a series called the SoCon Spotlight. This provides an opportunity to get acquainted with the student-athlete in a different light. The question and answer session will focus on a student-athlete who contributes on the field, course, mat or court and also in the classroom.
This SoCon Athlete Spotlight focuses on Chattanooga's Maria Juliana Loza, a sophomore mechanical engineering major from Bucaramanga, Columbia. Loza is a member of the Lady Mocs' golf team and when she's not out on the golf course, she is working towards a degree in mechanical engineering. We recently sat down with Loza to talk her adjustment to life in the United States, her goals and her experiences as a student-athlete at Chattanooga.
Maria, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
"I'm Maria Juliana Loza. I'm from Columbia, and I'm on the Chattanooga women's golf team. I'm from a small city in Columbia called Bucaramanga, and I've been playing golf since I was eight years old."
You said you're from Columbia. What led you to come play golf at Chattanooga?
"Basically it all happened because I wanted to come to the States to play college golf. Coach [Colette] Murray went to a tournament back home, and she saw me play there. I started talking to her. I came over that summer and played three or four tournaments here in the States. She saw me at some of those as well. I talked to some other schools, and then when I came to my recruiting trip here, I really liked it. It seemed like a good school. It seemed like a great team to be a part of. That's how it happened."
There are probably some significant cultural differences between Chattanooga, Columbia and playing here and there. What is the biggest difference and biggest challenge for you?
"I'd say the biggest challenge for me is I miss Columbian food a lot. It takes some adjustment because I get home cooked meals every day, every meal when I'm back home. Here I just get fast food or something from the cafeteria. That's been a challenge for me."
Earlier I referred to you as Maria. You said that that's OK usually for Americans. There's a special way that you guys say all three names in Columbia to marry them together. You go by Maju now. Can you tell us a little more about that?
"I wouldn't introduce myself as Maria back home, because there are a lot of 'Maria-something'. Our names are basically two names. Most everyone has two names. Maju is just a nickname for people back home called Maria Juliana. It just comes from the first syllable of both names, like 'Ma' from Maria and 'Ju' from Juliana."
As I understand it, you came to UTC as much for the engineering program as to play golf. You've proven your success on the course as a very good golfer and in the classroom. You carry over a 3.9 GPA. What was it about the engineering program that interested you the most?
"I'm pretty good at math. I have a thing for wanting to know how things work and how machines work. I got the opportunity to come here and do both because if I had stayed at home, I would have probably just studied engineering and I would have had to stop playing golf. There's no program like this at home. Sports are not this big. I got lucky, and when I came over Coach took me to the engineering building. It looked really nice. All the aids and all the facilities and things they provide you here, it just amazed me."
Your new practice facility is shared with First Tee, correct? Can you explain First Tee?
"First Tee is an organization in the United States that allows kids to learn golf. I think it's a public thing. Kids from the area where the First Tee is located can come to the practice facility, and there are instructors there that will teach them to play golf. It's a really neat thing."
With so much going on with your school work and with golf, how do you find a balance between the two?
"I'm going to say I'm lucky because I'm good with time management. It's a thing I learned when I was little because I've been playing golf for so long. I had to do this ever since I started playing and traveling with golf. I had to know what time I was going to practice, what time I was going to play and what time I was going to do my school work. You have to plan everything. I'm a very organized person. I just plan everything so that I can get by."
Being so busy, your free time has to be precious. What do you like to do in your free time?
"I love watching TV. I don't get much TV here. I don't really watch that much, but there are some shows I would not miss. I make sure I have my time for that planned out. When it was cold, probably nothing, just sitting at home and watching TV, but now that it's getting sunny, that's my kind of weather. That's what we live in. I just like being outside and hanging out. I'm really good friends with the tennis girls, so I go to their matches a lot when I have free time."
The Southern Conference Women's Golf Championship is coming up. Do you have any goals for the rest of the season? You've had a pretty season thus far, finishing in the top 15 in three of the competitions. Can you explain a little more about that?
"I'm going to say you're right because I really don't know. I played really bad in the first tournament, but I think after that I've gotten back to a good game. We're really looking forward to the SoCon Championship. I really think we can win it this year. That's the goal, just go out there. We know the course already, which I think is good. It's not a hard golf course, but it's kind of tricky because it has narrow fairways. Knowing the golf course is going to help a lot. We just have to go there and win."
After the Southern Conference Championship, do you have any goals for postseason play?
"We hope so because the goal with the SoCon is to win it so then we would go to NCAA Regionals. Once you're in regionals it all gets into that week and whatever happens in that week. I think if we win it and we get in regionals, it's just going to be the same as last year. We're going to have to fight for it and hopefully we'll get into the NCAA Championships. That would be the main goal."
You're only a sophomore this year. You have two more years after this one, two more years of play and two more years of school. Do you have any plans for engineering or golf after you graduate?
"I've been giving this a bunch of thought. I think my mind has changed a lot since I started. I think basically the idea right now is whenever I graduate I'd love to get a good job in engineering. My dream is to do something that has to do with cars or airplanes. If I could get into Boeing and work that would be my dream come true."
Being in Chattanooga, you've been here almost two years now. What's your favorite memory from Chattanooga, whether it's school-related or golf-related?
"I don't really have a memory in particular, but there's a tournament I really remember. It was not here in Chattanooga, but it's related. It was last spring. It was our first tournament, and it was in Mexico. The University of Arizona hosted it. It was an awesome tournament. I would never have gotten to go to this place. I had never heard of it. It's called Puerto Penasco, and it's right up north. We were in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the desert and right beside the ocean. It was amazing. Chattanooga golf gave me the opportunity, so that was a nice memory."
What's your favorite part about being a student-athlete here at Chattanooga?
"The community and the student-athletes, we're just surrounded by really good people. Everyone is just so aware of what you need and how to help you. Everyone wants you to succeed. That's the best thing. Everyone's here to help you."
What is your favorite part about being a student-athlete in the Southern Conference?
"I don't know much about the conference, since I'm not from here. Last year it was pretty neat that the SoCon Basketball Tournament was here, and we got to see that. Our SoCon Tournament was awesome. Everything was so well prepared. I'm just happy that they do a great job on everything. They make us feel like we deserve this, and we're getting good things."
2009-10 SoCon Spotlight Featured Student-Athletes
Appalachian State - Sam Ramirez - Basketball (view article and interview)
College of Charleston - Emily Morgan - Soccer (view article and interview)
The Citadel - Lauren Fleming - Track & Field (view article and interview)
Davidson - Bryant Barr - Basketball (view article and interview)
Elon - Steven Kinney - Soccer (view article and interview)
Furman - Jessica Preeg - Tennis (view article and interview)
Georgia Southern - Jake Ware - Baseball (view article and interview)
UNC Greensboro - Emily Akiyama - Softball (view article and interview)
Samford - Patrick Wells - Track & Field (view article and interview)
Chattanooga - Maria Juliana Loza - Golf (view article and interview)
Western Carolina - Kristen Feemster - Basketball (view article and interview)
Wofford - Jordan Ingman - Football (view article and interview)