Skydiving, STEM, and Learning to Step Into Fear...Quite Literally Sometimes

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Written by: Laura Maria Orjuela

Position, Member Since: General Member, Joined Fall 2022

Major & Track: Microbiology and Cell Science, Pre-Med

Current Year: 3rd Year

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If there’s one thing nobody told me before skydiving, it’s that your brain doesn’t fully process the fact that you’re jumping out of a perfectly functional plane until the door actually opens. I remember sitting there, strapped to the instructor, the wind rushing in, and all I could think was, “Wow… this is literally the free-fall scenario we talked about in physics.” We had just gone over it in class, diagrams and all, and there I was, living the chapter in real time.

I didn’t expect skydiving to teach me anything beyond “don’t look down,” but it ended up showing me so much about being a pre-med student, especially a woman in STEM trying to figure things out one semester at a time.

The truth is, you never feel fully ready before a big step. Not before jumping out of a plane, not before your first organic chemistry lab exam, not before joining a new club or emailing a professor you’ve been intimidated by for weeks. You tell yourself you’ll do it when you “feel prepared,” but that moment doesn’t magically arrive. At some point, you simply just have to go for it.

Skydiving forced me to do exactly that. Those first few seconds of free fall were loud, chaotic, and honestly kind of disorienting, which is also how being a pre-med student feels sometimes. Everything moves fast; deadlines come out of nowhere, and you’re convinced you’re not keeping up. But just like in the air, your brain adjusts. You find rhythm. You start focusing on what you can control: your study habits, your priorities, your community, the way you show up for yourself even on the days you feel overwhelmed.

The moment the parachute opened was the first time I felt like I could breathe again. Everything slowed down. The view was unreal. And weirdly enough, that calm reminded me of something I found at UF too: uAMWA. Between classes, labs, exams, and the whole “plan your future” pressure, it’s easy to feel like you’re falling at full speed. But having a space where other women uplift you, support you, and genuinely get what you’re going through feels like that parachute moment — a reminder that you’re not doing this alone.

Skydiving didn’t make me fearless; it just made me realize that courage isn’t about not being scared. It’s about moving anyway. And that lesson has made its way into how I show up as a student. I apply to things even if I’m not sure I’ll get them. I introduce myself even when it feels awkward. I ask questions. I try things that stretch me. And I remind myself that the jump is always the hardest part. After that, you learn as you go.

If you’re reading this and you’re on your own pre-med path, or honestly just figuring out life in general, here’s what skydiving taught me: you grow the most when you take the step, you’re afraid of. You don’t need to have everything together. You just need to trust that you can handle the fall, and that eventually, things will slow down and make sense.

And if you ever get the chance to jump out of a plane? Do it!!! You might learn something about physics, but you’ll certainly learn something about yourself.