Scholar Stories: Cheng Discovers Balance Between Studies, Athletics at U-M
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Absopure.
By Emma Warshofsky
Growing up in Hong Kong, C.Y. Cheng did not know ‘student-athlete’ was an option. With the Hong Kong education system encouraging students to pick a specialized field of study at the start of high school, Cheng thought he would have to choose between soccer and academics in ninth grade. Now a senior on the University of Michigan men’s soccer team and a student in the Ross School of Business, Cheng encourages others from Hong Kong to pursue both academic and athletic paths in high school and college.
Looking to give their children the opportunity to explore their interests and gain independence, Cheng’s parents sent him and his siblings to boarding school in the United States for high school. At The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn., Cheng was able to continue his studies as well as his soccer career after playing on the Hong Kong national team.
Seeing his peers go on to continue their sports in college made Cheng want to do the same.
“I didn’t really know about the whole student-athlete thing until I got to high school in the U.S. Back in Hong Kong, how it worked with athletics and school was, you pick one or the other,” Cheng said, “Seeing a lot of my teammates able to enjoy sports and school in college was something I was looking forward to.”
Among Cheng’s high school teammates were Umar Farouk Osman and Francis Atuahene, two former University of Michigan players.
“It’s a small world … while coach was watching Umar play, and before that Francis Atuahene, he saw me playing and we got in touch,” Cheng explained. “Obviously, Michigan is a great school and I…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Michigan Athletics…