First-year student pharmacist Connor Fry is an early riser. His mornings start at 5 a.m.; on days when he has an 8 a.m. class, it's even earlier. Fry is a swimmer for the USC Swimming and Diving team, competing at the SEC level.
"I wake up to compete in the sport that I love every morning and then sit in classes with content that I'm truly interested in," Frye says.
His father swam at Auburn University and later competed internationally in open-water events for the United States. He coached Frye from middle school through high school. Frye became interested in pharmacy through a career program at his Texas high school where students could graduate as licensed pharmacy technicians.
The schedule requires trade-offs trying to find nuggets of time to focus on studying. He studies better at night, which works with his training schedule, though he tries not to stay up too late.
"I get carried away sometimes, usually before exams," he says.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to pursue two different passions at the same time and hopefully walk away successful in both.
Last season, Fry earned nine first-place finishes across the 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle events. He qualified for the NCAA Championships and placed 25th in the 1650. He also made the SEC Academic Honor Roll and earned CSC Academic All-District honors.
Fry knows swimming won't last forever. His goal is to make the 2028 Olympic team in marathon swimming. After that, he plans to focus on pharmacy.
"The student side is certainly going to have more long-term impact than the athletic one," he adds. "I can't go on swimming at this level forever."
For now, he is managing both. The 4 a.m. wakeups and bus-ride study sessions are worth it, he says, to pursue two careers at once.
“I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to pursue two different passions at the same time and hopefully walk away successful in both.”
Topics: Pharm.D. Program, Student Experience