Isabella Garriga ’24 has known two things from a very young age. The first is that she loved judo. The second is that she wanted to be an Aggie.  

Although judo isn’t well known in the state of Texas – or the United States as a whole – the sport is as familiar to Garriga as riding a bike. She’s been involved in judo ever since she could walk. What started with running around her father’s dojo in Houston at the age of two evolved into competing locally at the age of four, nationally at 10 and internationally by the time she was in middle school.  

The biomedical sciences major has always known she wanted to pursue something in the medical field. Her dad told her he knew of a place that had everything she wanted. “I fell in love with Texas A&M a long time ago,” she said.  

Garriga has come a long way from running around her father’s dojo and dreaming of being a veterinarian. Today, she’s representing both the United States and Texas A&M in international judo competitions and is in her last year of undergrad, after which she hopes to attend medical school.  

Garriga’s latest dream is a big one – competing in the 2028 Olympic games.  

The roots of that goal were planted in her sophomore year. It had been five years since she had last competed in judo and her first time representing Texas A&M. “I qualified for international teams right off the bat,” she said. “it's pretty crazy to see like where I've come in such a short amount of time.”  

Garriga plans to take a two-year gap after she graduates to study for the MCAT and do as much judo as she possibly can. Through competing in international competitions, she hopes to rack up enough points to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.  

In the process of competing internationally, Garriga has gotten the chance to meet judokas (a person who does judo) that are currently where she hopes to be in 2028. “You get to see all these Olympians from other countries that are on your social media,” she said. “It’s a cool experience.” 

Garriga got a glimpse of Olympic-level competition at the 2021 World University Games this past summer. “It was wild. The whole city was about this competition,” she said. “Even the airport was decked out in World University Games.”  

The World University Games were a long-awaited event for Garriga. Two years after she originally qualified for the games, she was finally able to compete. Garriga finished 7th out of nearly 300 competitors from all over the world.  

No matter where she travels or who she competes against, Garriga knows the Aggie community is behind her. “A 13-hour time difference doesn't change the fact that your friends and your community is still supporting you,” she said. “It leaves me speechless.” 

Garriga hopes that her success on the road to the 2028 Olympic Games will bring more people to the sport and to Aggie Judo. 

Learn more about Aggie Judo and Sport Clubs.