Athena Chang grew up just 30 minutes away for Stanford, playing ice hockey for the San Jose Junior Sharks. Stanford was her dream school because there was no other school in the world that offered such comprehensive education and top-notch opportunities. Once attending Stanford, Athena picked up a lacrosse stick and she hasn't turned back. Athena's career goal is to become a fighter pilot in the Air Force. Athena tells us her story.

I’m originally from San Jose, California and grew up playing competitive ice hockey for the San Jose Jr. Sharks. Coming to Stanford, I decided I wanted to take a break from ice hockey and try something new. Lacrosse is used as a cross-training sport for ice hockey and I’ve always had an interest in it, but my high school didn’t have a team I could play for. 

Fortunately, Club Lacrosse took me in with welcome arms, even though I had absolute no experience in playing lacrosse. The team is so supportive and has taught me everything about the game from the ground up. I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to travel all over California to play lacrosse, the entire experience is extremely fun and exciting!

The fact that I didn’t know anything about lacrosse during Fall Quarter, to now being able to play in all field positions, is probably my greatest sport achievement thus far. I still have a lot of learning to do in terms of positioning and stick skills, but I’m still astounded that I learned so much in a short period of time!

I am an Air Force ROTC cadet, and my career goal is to become a fighter pilot in the Air Force. I will be commissioning as an Air Force officer and plan on entering military pilot training after graduation. For now though, I am working towards my civilian Private Pilot’s License and I have found flying to be extremely exhilarating. I am also an avid skier and enjoy backpacking.

- Athena Chang, 23'