STANFORD, Calif. - Ellen Tsay might not be busiest student-athlete at Stanford, but she’s in the discussion.
The soft-spoken senior co-captain from Pleasanton, California, Tsay (pronounced "Sigh") is involved with so many outside activities, it’s a wonder she keeps her days straight. Tsay is pursuing a biology degree and a masters in biomedical informatics and has a cumulative GPA of 3.87.
Tsay is also a teaching assistant and student researcher for the Health Literary Project on campus and has produced videos for a flipped-classroom health education course in Redwood City middle schools. Tsay has researched and written scripts on nutrition, allergies and diabetes and has managed a course website and public video channel.
She also volunteers as a medical scribe for Rotacare Free Clinic in Mountain View, electronically documenting patient histories, physical exam and treatment plans, and shadows a vascular surgeon, plastic surgeon, ophthalmologist and orthopedic surgeon. Not surprisingly, she would like to attend medical school and become a surgeon.
Tsay also finds time to work in the Stanford Admissions Office, sharing her experiences with prospective freshmen and high school students on a guest blog that reaches an audience of more than 4,000.
Over the past two summers, Tsay was a teaching assistant for the Girl Code Programming Workshop at Stanford, where she taught an intensive Java programming work shop for high-school females, African Americans, Latinos/Latinas and Native Americans, led group discussions and mentored 24 students.
“I’ve always enjoyed having a lot of different activities in my life,” she said. “If I get tired of one, I switch to the other. It keeps things exciting.”
Formerly a No. 1-ranked junior player in the nation, Tsay was a member of Stanford’s 2013 NCAA championship team and competes at No. 5 singles for the Cardinal, which has advanced to this weekend’s round of 16 against California (Friday, 10 a.m. PT) in Waco, Texas. Tsay, who has compiled a career singles record of 104-35, also plays doubles with sophomore Caroline Doyle, as the duo has combined for a 27-8 record while ranking No. 10 in the nation this season
“Coming to Stanford, my one goal was to improve personally and play in the lineup,” said Tsay, a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic First Team selection. “But where I play in the lineup is really up to the coaches. As long as I’m in the lineup and make a contribution on the court to the team, I really don’t care.”
They’re actually brilliant, but you wouldn’t know it because they won’t say it. To be surrounded by people like this is just really amazing.
Ellen Tsay
Tsay has tried to impart wisdom to her younger teammates about what it takes to win a national title.
“What I’ve tried to tell everyone is it doesn’t really matter where you are seeded or what other people think of you,” she said. “It’s just inside; do you feel you have what it takes, and I think everyone on our team has that right now. We just need to put it into action.”
Tsay said her biggest takeaway from the 2013 NCAA title is learning to manage yourself on the court and not worry about what is happening around you.
“There are so many things outside of your control,” said Tsay. “Everyone has good days and bad days. So, it’s just important to do your best and see how it turns out. Team sports is a lot of preparation, but it’s also a lot of luck, so just focus on what is in your control.”
Tsay loves being part of a team.
“I’ve really grown from playing on the team because tennis is an individual sport, so you don’t usually have to think about others when you are playing,” she said. “But I have really come to enjoy team tennis so much more than individual tennis, just because there is so much more worth fighting for. It’s not just yourself.”
Attending Stanford was always Tsay’s dream.
“I think what really sets Stanford students apart is they are just so humble,” Tsay said. “They’re actually brilliant, but you wouldn’t know it because they won’t say it. To be surrounded by people like this is just really amazing.”
Tsay cited another reason for Stanford’s uniqueness.
“We don’t do things the way other people do them,” she said. “At Stanford, the emphasis is on personal connection. People don’t stick to protocol for the sake of sticking to protocol. They will go out of their way to help a friend. For example, my classmates, who are pre-med, they will help out other pre-med friends, even though technically, they are competing against each other.”
Tsay has flourished on The Farm.
“Even our coaches give us a lot of flexibility and autonomy to manage our own games,” Tsay said. “They don’t micro-manage us, so the expectation is that you are responsible for yourself and I think that helps you become a more responsible person.”
Tsay has embraced her opportunity to be a role model.
“I enjoy talking to younger kids,” she said. “I think when I was younger, I would have liked to hear from someone who had been through it all. There were also different mindsets that I wish I had when I was younger. I was very serious as a junior and worked very hard, but I think it’s important to have fun every day and I try to make that clear.”
When she needs to decompress, Tsay has two favorite places on campus.
“Either the Whispering Circle or the second story of the law school,” said Tsay. “They’re just really quiet and peaceful.”
Not that she has much down time.
“Stanford has so many resources,” Tsay said. “I’ve tried to take advantage of everything.”