Sára Majorošová: "My own experience as an athlete in the US made me realize the importance of sports transitions"

This autumn, the Institut de Recerca de l'Esport (IRE-UAB) welcomes Sára Majorošová, a visiting research student from the University of Leipzig (Germany). Over the next five months, Sára will work alongside the Sport Psychology Research Group (GEPE) to develop her master's thesis under the supervision of Miquel Torregrossa. In this interview, the former basketball player discusses her academic and athletic background, the specifics of her study on dual-career transitions among international student-athletes in the United States, and what brought her to UAB to pursue her research stay.

1. To start off, could you introduce yourself, tell us your age, where you come from, and what you are doing here? My name is Sára Majorošová, I'm 26 years old, and I'm from Slovakia. I came to Barcelona to do my internship. Technically, I'm a student at the University of Leipzig in Germany, where I'm in the second year of my master's degree.

2. What are your main objectives here at UAB and what is the research study you are working on? I am part of the research group here at GEPE, and I started doing my own research that will later be a part of my master's thesis. I want to focus on exploring emotional experiences and identity changes among international female student-athletes in the USA. Specifically, international students who migrate from Europe to the US for studies and athletic careers and then retire after they graduate. I'm working on my own project, but I am also part of the team meetings and I will be attending thesis defenses of PhD students, among other activities.

3. Why did you choose this specific topic for your research? I was an athlete myself basically my whole life, for around 18 years. I played basketball at a very high level, both internationally and nationally, and I migrated to the US for my studies and athletic career as well. So I think it has always been kind of personal for me, especially regarding career termination and the transition from sports to different careers; I find it very interesting.

4. What was your previous experience in the United States and what path did you take before coming here? I went there in 2020. I started my bachelor's degree in psychology when I was 20 over there, and I graduated in 2024. After that, I stayed for one more year to work and gain work experience. In 2025, I moved back to Europe and went straight to Germany to start my master's, and now I'm here doing my mandatory internship.

5. And why did you choose Barcelona, the IRE, and the GEPE group for your internship? Like I mentioned before, I was looking for a researcher or an institute that specializes in sports transitions, career termination, and dual careers. I know Miquel is very well known for that. Also, him and my professor from Germany know each other, so we got in touch. Plus, it's in Barcelona, which is a great city. It just worked out perfectly for me: focusing on something I'm interested in, being around people who are looking in the same direction, and being in a city and a country I had never been to before. Everything was new, and that's why I decided to come.

6. What impact or influence do you think your research can have on people or future studies? When I was deciding on the topic, I wanted to look closer into the factors and variables that affect emotional experiences after career termination. I found it interesting to focus specifically on international female athletes moving to the US because I think there's a gap in the research, and not a lot of studies have been done on this specific group of people. So I think that can definitely open up future research into how we can help with the transition and migration of international students to a different country.

7. How long will you be staying here, and what are your plans once you finish this stay at UAB? It's a five-month internship, so I will be here until the end of February. As for what comes next, I'm not really sure yet. I was planning on going back home for my fourth semester, but so far I have liked the city and the environment so much that I'm thinking about staying longer. I don't know if as part of the GEPE group—probably not, although I would love that—but for now, the focus is just getting through these first five months as planned. Everything is kind of in the air, but I would love to move here long-term. I'm considering it as an option, but I'm not sure yet.