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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 the inaugural spotlight, Stanford’s Connie Ma will share a little bit about herself and some of her recent experiences at the ITA Leadership Awards Weekend in New York. As a senior for the Cardinal, Ma has enjoyed a decorated collegiate career already and has high expectations to continue her success both individually and with her team this season. Ma will be serving as the Vice-Chair of the Student-Athlete Council for the 2024-25 academic year.
Read more about Ma in this September spotlight below:
Hello, my name is Connie Ma and I’m a senior at Stanford University. Outside of tennis, I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology, with the hopes of going to medical school and becoming a doctor. In my free time, I like to dabble in various outdoor activities, bake, or just hang out with friends!
Why was it important to you to apply to the ITA Student-Athlete Council, and what are some topics that you hope you hope that your fellow council members and you can tackle over the upcoming year? Why are these topics important to you and what experiences have you had that might make these topics more important or personal to you?
I chose to apply to the ITA Student-Athlete Council because it offered a unique opportunity to contribute to the future of college tennis by advocating for the needs and voices of the student-athletes. The council also serves as a platform where I could collaborate with like-minded individuals who share a similar passion for enhancing the college tennis experience!
Some topics that we hope to tackle over the upcoming year include more mental health awareness and community service/outreach. Being a student-athlete is both mentally and physically demanding, and balancing everything college throws at us can be difficult, so it’s important to me that we give student-athletes more resources/support in times of need.
Additionally, having just participated in the Arthur Ashe Kids Day at the U.S. Open, I believe that community service is a great hands-on opportunity for student-athletes to give back to the communities while also connecting with various alumni and aspiring juniors!
As the ITA Division I Women’s Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship award winner, what were your experiences like traveling to New York for the ITA Leadership Awards Weekend? Did any particular activities stand out amongst the rest, and what memories did you make that you might remember well past your days as a college tennis player?
Getting to travel to New York and being a part of the ITA Leadership Awards Weekend was a super fun experience! I really enjoyed helping out at the Arthur Ashe Kids Day because it allowed me to work with kids and get them excited about a sport that I love! It was also great meeting the other award winners and getting to be a part of the awards banquet was a memory I’ll never forget.
Entering your senior year, what are some goals you are hoping to achieve both individually and as a team this upcoming season?
Going into my last year of college tennis, I hope that I can set a good example for my teammates and be someone that they can rely on. As a team, we have a lot of changes that will be new to us this year (new conference, stadium, etc.), so I hope that we’ll adapt to the challenges while also having fun and creating memories with one another! As we all know, the college season is full of surprises, so I’m excited to do this with my team one last time.
Why was college tennis the right choice for you, and what encouragement would you give to a junior player considering playing college tennis?
I always knew that college tennis was the right choice for me – the idea of being able to be a part of a team and playing alongside teammates was something that excited me ever since I was little. To anyone who’s considering playing college tennis, I would tell them to definitely do it! It takes a lot of dedication and hard work, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that allows you to meet the most amazing people, teaches you important life lessons, and prepares you for anything you want to do post-college!
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).
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