Clemson University Ph.D Student Soars into Competitive Skydiving

Originally posted on Outdoors on SI | By Maria Aldrich | Last updated Feb 13, 2025 9:05 PM ET

For the average brave soul, skydiving is a one-and-done endeavor. For others, a seed is planted the moment they make their first tandem jump. Occasionally, individuals may choose to foster that seed and allow it to grow.

Clemson University Ph.D. student, Sriya Pragada, resonates with those who chose to pursue skydiving. While she remains heavily focused on her astrobiology studies, skydiving has become an integral part of her life.

According to Pragada, her love for the sport was born in the Pocono Mountains where the lush beauty of the surrounding foliage captured her attention. She had been visiting the area with her family, with no plans to go skydiving.

She explained that a frivolous comment made by her mother ignited a thought in her mind — what would it be like to free fall with such a view? Shortly after, Pragada found herself in an aircraft, preparing to make her first tandem jump. The seed was planted, and since then, she has been fostering growth.

Not only did she want to jump again, but she decided to pursue her skydiving license. However, as the dedicated student she has proved herself to be, school was a priority. Fortunately, several colleges have skydiving clubs for students like Pragada, who wish to balance life in the books with adventure.

Clemson University, her chosen school, offers a skydiving club that has trained students to compete at the collegiate level. As an active club member, Pragada was encouraged to try her hand at competitive skydiving.

"I committed to Clemson and signed up for my first jump class. It was one of the first things I did once I committed," she said. "It was August 26 — I'll never forget that day. August 26, 2023. I showed up, and did my first jump class. I did my ground training, and then I made my first jump that day, solo."

Within the club, participating students are surrounded by skilled skydivers who take on a mentorship role. "We are very fortunate that our club advisors, who own the Flying Tiger Sport Parachute Center where the skydiving club is hosted, are pro-level skydivers," she stated.

Having skilled mentors to learn from has helped Pragada reach success in the skydiving realm.
Earlier this year, she made her first appearance in the National Collegiate Skydiving Championships. Currently holding her USPA A-License, Pragada has shown no sign of stopping. In fact, she now aims to earn her B-License.

Training for such a feat has not been easy, considering her vigorous studies, but she has found balance in her life.

"It's really just restructuring priorities every week," said Pragada. "Right now, I'm working on my B-License, which means I'm just on the grind trying to get those jumps in, get those accuracies in, make sure all the numbers are right and take the water training course."

To help maintain a sense of equilibrium, she often prioritizes jumping on the weekends and completes her academic work throughout the week. While Pragada isn't certain what the future holds for her and her skydiving career, she plans to continue implementing her love for adventure into her life.

"I intend to jump for as long as I can. At the very least, and this is worst-case scenario, I will be a hobby jumper, but I would love to keep competing," Pragada shared. As she works toward her next license and holds a steady eye on competition, it's likely that she will continue to find herself in the depths of training as she moves through school.

This article first appeared on Outdoors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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