As the 2022–23 school year comes to an end, many seniors are getting ready to graduate. For many, it feels like it was just yesterday they moved into their freshman-year dorm away from home for the very first time. All-around senior gymnast Mia Takekawa is preparing for graduation and reflects on her time at Illinois these past four years.

Before even committing to Illinois, Takekawa wasn’t considering any Midwest schools, coming from California. However, it wasn’t until she visited Illinois’ campus and fell in love with the atmosphere of the school, the educational opportunities and the gymnastics program that she decided to make Champaign her home away from home.

When asked about the proudest moment from the past four years, Takekawa highlights the two 10s she’s gotten on beam.

“The first one really took me by surprise because that was my second meet ever in college,” Takekawa said. “I really didn’t have any expectations for myself coming into that.”

Despite being the amazing gymnast Takekawa is, she expressed how she didn’t realize how good she actually was until that moment, which she found very validating. This helped her to build confidence during her freshman year and establish her place on the team.

With such a strong start to her Illini gymnastics career, an inevitable burden overcame Takekawa where she felt like she had to meet all these new expectations. However, with the support from her team and the program, Takekawa was able to adopt a healthier mindset on what validation really meant, which helped her to improve her self-confidence and performance.

“Validation and your own self-worth doesn’t come from your scores or how you do,” Takekawa said. “It’s innate in you.”

The one thing Takekawa is never going to forget about her experience with the Illini are the relationships and connections she has made with her team and the coaches from the gymnastics program. Although the scores and meets make up some of the proudest moments, the memories with the people she has gotten close to are going to stick with her in the long run.

“With my team as a whole,” Takekawa said. “I think that the connection I’ve made with these girls is going to last me my whole life.”

When asked what Takekawa would tell her freshman year self, she said she would tell herself to slow down and enjoy the moment. Time flies, and Takekawa can’t fathom how the past four years went by so fast.

“I wish I can go back and relive some of those meets and enjoy the moment a little bit more,” Takekawa said.

Overall, Takekawa describes her experience at Illinois as balanced. She felt that the gymnastics program really cared about her as a whole, including her life outside of gymnastics. Takekawa got the best of both worlds, to be able to grow as both a gymnast and a student.

“I feel like I’ve really grown as a person,” Takekawa said. “You know, gymnastics has been my whole life and after I graduate, gymnastics won’t stay with me. But what I’ve taken from my experience here I think will help me throughout my whole life.”

After graduation, Takekawa is planning to stay another year at Illinois for a master’s program before eventually head over back to the West Coast. With the help from the gymnastics program, Takekawa was able to find the balance of pursuing her passion and being a student with memories that she’ll forever cherish.

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