Student-athletes at UF power their futures with business master's degrees
Combining sports prowess with business acumen, student-athletes at the University of Florida are maximizing their earning potential with master’s degrees in business.
Specializing in everything from finance to management to entrepreneurship in the Warrington College of Business, students like Paige Clausen, Bennett Andersen, and Alberto and Alfonso Mestre are learning how to build their own brands as they progress in their athletic careers.
Paige Clausen
Exemplifying the balance between academic excellence and athletic commitment, Clausen is pursuing a master of science degree in finance while playing shooting guard for the UF women's basketball team. Dedicating about 40 hours each week to training, meetings and travel during the season, Clausen has honed her ability to perform under pressure.
A basketball player since age 5, Clausen joined the basketball team at UF as a sophomore with a full athletic scholarship in 2023. Clausen has also immersed herself in the Gator Student Investment Fund, participating in stock pitch competitions and gaining valuable experience in the communications, media and entertainment sectors. And she interned at RBC Capital Markets in New York, securing a full-time position upon graduation.
While Clausen does not intend to pursue a professional basketball career, she aspires to merge her finance expertise with her love of sports, potentially working in finance for a sports team or entering the sports private equity sector.
"Never think that anything is unattainable,” Clausen said. “With a strong work ethic, you can make anything possible."
Bennett Andersen
The son of two UF graduates, Bennett Andersen has realized his lifelong dream of becoming a UF basketball player while working toward a Master of Science in Management degree.
Andersen worked as a student manager with the UF men's basketball team as an undergraduate at UF, as he pursued an industrial and systems engineering bachelor's degree. By the summer of 2023, he had joined the team as a walk-on and, at the end of that year, he debuted in a game against Grambling State University. Entering with the Gators leading by 43 points, Andersen executed a backdoor cut and scored his first points for UF with a layup on the team's final possession.
“It was definitely the highlight of my career,” Andersen said. “But [so was] just being on the bench for big games like when we won at (No. 10) Kentucky last season and beat (No. 1) Tennessee at home this year.”
For now, Andersen is a member of the Florida Men’s Basketball National Championship team. He was recognized in April as the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Elite 90 winner, which honors the exceptional achievements of student-athletes.
Looking ahead, he is contemplating a career in basketball operations, potentially within an National Basketball Association front office, where he can integrate his engineering and management skills.
Alberto and Alfonso Mestre
Brothers and accomplished swimmers, Alberto and Alfonso Mestre are both working toward business degrees at UF. Alberto Mestre, who holds an economics degree from Stanford University, is enrolled in UF’s MBA program, while Alfonso Mestre is completing a combined bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in finance. The Mestres are both interested in pursuing finance-related roles post-swimming.
The brothers represented Venezuela in the 2024 Paris Olympics – their second Olympic appearance after competing in Tokyo in 2020. Their father, Alberto Mestre Sr., also swam for Venezuela in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.
Alberto Mestre competed in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle in Paris, while Alfonso Mestre swam in the 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle. Their rigorous 40-hour-a-week training regimen includes twice-daily pool workouts, weight sessions, nutritional planning and consultations with a sports psychologist.
“It’s a full-time job,” Alberto Mestre said. “But it’s the discipline and determination [that are] needed to perform well.”
The Mestre brothers are upholding their family's Olympics legacy while advancing their academic and professional business pursuits.