Tempe, AZ – Throughout the 2024-25 college tennis season, members of the ITA Student-Athlete Council will have the opportunity to be featured in monthly spotlights that will give the greater college tennis community an inside look at some of our Student-Athlete Council members and what they are accomplishing on and off the court.
In this spotlight, Andrew Fang of Binghamton University will share a little bit about himself and some of his experiences serving on the ITA Student-Athlete Council.
Read more about Fang in this spotlight below:
Hello, my name is Andrew Fang and I am a junior at Binghamton University. Outside of tennis, I am pursuing a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Law and History with the hopes of pursuing a career in law. In my free time, I enjoy writing, hiking, reading, and spending time with my friends.
Why was it important to you to apply to the ITA Student-Athlete Council, and what does it mean to you to represent college tennis athletes from across all levels of play, as well as specifically the Division I level of play where you compete?
I’ve always believed that change is like a domino effect. The domino effect states that when one domino piece falls, the following pieces will fall with it. Similarly, when change starts, everything around starts to change as well. But the domino effect will not start unless someonepushes the first piece down. Similarly, change will not start unless someone initiates it. For this reason, I found it important for me to apply to the ITA Student-Athlete Council because I feel like the council is that outside force that pushes the first piece of the domino to promote an enhanced college experience for both present and future generations.
It means the world to me to be able to represent college tennis athletes from across all levels of play, as well as specifically the Division I level of play where I compete. It is a lot of pressure for sure but I am happy to be surrounded by nine other phenomenal members in hopes of advocating for the needs and voices of the student-athletes.
As an international student-athlete, what advice would you give younger international athletes looking to come to the United States to play college tennis?
As an international student-athlete, one advice I would give to younger international athletes looking to come to the United States is that college sports are more than just college sports. You will meet some of your closest friends through college. You will build some of the strongest and life-changing bonds through the people you will meet whether that be with your coaches, your professors, your friends, or alumni.
College provides you with so many different opportunities in a variety of fields. If you are looking to play professionally after college, there are opportunities everywhere in college tennis. If you are looking for internships, college is the best place to make connections. Many resources in the athletics department and on campus will help and support you in any way you need. It almost feels like no student-athlete has to walk through college alone.
What unique perspectives do you hope to bring to the council? Why is it important to you to promote a sense of community and inclusion within college tennis and on college campuses across the country?
I hope to use my knowledge and experiences to bring unique perspectives to the council in order to help achieve our goal of promoting a sense of community and inclusion within college tennis. I feel like I have been given great opportunities, like being in the Scholars Program here at Binghamton or having more of a leadership role in the community service events that our team runs, to gain valuable experiences and new knowledge; all that I hope to bring to the council.
It is important to me to promote a sense of community and inclusion within college tennis and on college campuses across the country because it ensures that students from all backgrounds feel welcome. One common fear about college is that you will not find the right crowd to fit in or that there are not many people like me. Promoting a sense of community and inclusion are great way to address this thought that people may have, encouraging more people to pursue college tennis and college as a pathway.
Why was college tennis the right choice for you, and what have you learned from playing college tennis that you think will benefit you throughout your life?
Growing up my coaches told me constantly that playing college tennis would be the best four years of my life. I did not believe them. And so far I have to say that there is nothing like college tennis. The pride of wearing your school’s name on your chest when you step out on the court to play, the energy, the enthusiasm, the passion, the fun, and the thrill that college tennis brings is like none other and I knew that college tennis was the right choice for me. I’ve also learned so many valuable life lessons that extend beyond just the court. The big one for me is gratitude. The more I play, the more I am grateful to be able to be in the positions that I am in. And this gratitude has helped me through some of my worst days but also has helped me thrive in some of my best days. Learning the power of gratitude will benefit me throughout the rest of my life because I’ve learned that no matter what has occurred during the day, smile because there are so many little things to be grateful for.
The ITA Student-Athlete Council is a committee of student-athletes who play college tennis assembled to provide insights regarding the sport with a special emphasis on the student-athlete experience. The goals of this committee are as follows: Present a student-athlete voice within the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) (1), Offer input regarding matters pertaining to the sport, particularly issues impacting the lives of student-athletes (2), Work to enhance the student-athlete experience specific to college tennis across all divisions (3), Invest in the leaders of tomorrow by creating leadership and professional development opportunities (4).
