Nov. 16, 2016
San Diego State track and field alum Thoraya Maronesy is the quintessential former student-athlete. The La Mesa, Calif., native competed in indoor and outdoor track and field from 2008-13, earning three Mountain West Spring All-Academic Team honors while competing in the long jump, triple jump and sprints. Still living in San Diego, Maronesy now owns seven businesses, using skills garnered from her time as a student-athlete to forge ahead with a successful career.
GoAztecs.com caught up with Maronesy ahead of SDSU's Red-Black Intrasquad and All-Comers Meet on Sat., Dec. 3 atop SDSU Sports Deck.
Q: How did you choose San Diego State?
A: I'm from San Diego and I always knew that I wanted to stay home. Going into college, I was deciding between soccer and track and last minute, I chose track. Coach Burrell wasn't the one that recruited me but even back then, the program stood for the same ideals, which I liked. I also liked the majors and the Fowler Athletic Center, as well as how friendly everyone was. I was so shy back then and everyone was able to bring me out of my bubble, just on my recruiting trip. I knew that was a good sign from the start.
Q: What was your experience in the classroom like at SDSU?
A: I changed my majors three or four times. Bre (White), the academic advisor here, always says that she hasn't had a student-athlete who changed their major as much as I did. I started off as a civil engineering major, then I was journalism, but ended up with kinesiology. I always felt like my major wouldn't define what I did, which is why I was a bit anxious my senior year. But I just took everything I learned on the track and in the classroom and I started my businesses. Even though my businesses have nothing to do with my major, I still feel like I took certain aspects of my major and applied those aspects to what I do now.
Q: How did being a student-athlete shape your future?
A: Looking back, I feel so blessed because I feel like being a student-athlete prepared me for what I'm doing now. I own multiple businesses and I don't know if I would've had the time management skills that I have now if I hadn't competed in track while working towards my degree. It was a lot to juggle and it really shaped the way I run my businesses today.
Right now, I own seven businesses. My entire life, I had a passion for creating and sharing. I started off right out of college with my yoga line (Arima Designs); that's my baby. At the time, I knew I enjoyed graphic design and spreading a good message so if I could make a design to put on something, I was doing it. The first three months of my first business, Arima Designs, I had no sales. Within the fourth month, I had a sale a week. That turned into a sale a day and then multiple sales a day. Now it's hard to keep up with. It's been such a blessing.
But I started my businesses to fund my true passion, which is making films. I'm slowly getting into that now. I really want to get into film because I feel like the power of film is so tremendous. I think that's the only way you can change someone's opinion about certain things. I'm doing anything to get to the point where I can share what I've always wanted to do.
I'm looking into making mainly documentaries. My main goal is to create a feature film based on issues that matter. There are certain issues that I struggle with and I want people to see my viewpoint with what's happening today. Taking film, which incorporates writing, music and visual arts and putting it all together to get a message across, is really powerful.
Q: You mentioned the success of your businesses has been a blessing. How so?
A: One of the reasons it has been a blessing is because I'm able to give back the way I've always wanted to the program and school that gave so much to me. The past couple of years, I've made and donated the t-shirts for the Aztec Invitational for Track and Field and Cross Country. I also volunteer my time taking the team photos and I make the hype videos. Whatever skills I have, I'd like to give back to this program.
I feel like I owe this program because the school, the program and Coach Burrell gave so much to me. Coach Burrell has been such a huge supporter, then and now. Even now, she's always checking in on me and it's really cool. It feels like I'm in debt to this program and it's really good to give back.
Q: What is your advice to an incoming student-athlete?
A: Try different things. So many people kept asking me why I kept changing my major because it wasn't normal. Sometimes, you have to do something that's not normal to figure out what you really want. You shouldn't be scared of what people are always telling you. If you want to change your major five times because you're not sure, do it. You only have a certain amount of time to figure it out.
Also, always strive to be better, because that's what Coach Burrell always told us. If you apply that to whatever you're doing, there's no doubt that you'll be successful.