December 14, 2021
An inaugural member of the Shawnee State University Women’s Swimming team, Wenjie Lu has combined her passion for sports with her academic studies. Coming from Foshan Guangdong Province, China, in 2018 Lu was offered the chance to study abroad for a year at one of eight universities in the United States. She chose to attend SSU because it was the only university to offer a Sports Management program.
“I originally planned to stay at Shawnee State for just the one year my program allowed,” said Lu. “After I came to Shawnee and began my classes, I fell in love with campus and my academics. I made so many friends. When I went back to China after my time in the United States, I just knew I belonged at Shawnee. I decided to extend the length of my program and finish my degree here.”
Lu was a professional swimmer while she was in China and has had a successful career since joining SSU’s Women’s Swimming team in 2019. She placed first in many different events during their meets, including the 200-meter freestyle and 50-meter freestyle.
“My experience on Shawnee’s Swimming team is something I will never forget,” she said. “When I first began swimming for SSU, I noticed many of my friends had made signs just for me at the meets. The loud cheers from the crowd would push me to keep going. Every person I have met at Shawnee has been so kind and supportive.”
Outside of her academic program, Lu stayed involved on campus by spending most of her time going out with friends, attending events on campus, and participating with the swim team.
“I really loved spending time on campus,” she said. “Shawnee is just so beautiful and peaceful. I am excited for the next chapter of my life, but sad I will have to leave here.”
Following graduation, Lu plans to attend graduate school at a university somewhere in Ohio since she has grown to love the state. Her love for sports has been evident since she was a child, and she has always known she wanted to study Sports Management. Her dream is to work for one of the well-known sports teams in Ohio.
“My goal is definitely to work for a sports team like the Cincinnati Reds one day,” said Lu. “I love American baseball and I would just love to work for any sports team in Ohio so I can stay close with some of my friends here. I just truly love sports. No matter what sport or team I end up being around in the future, I know I will be happy. Sports are a part of my life and that will never get old.”
To learn more about the Sport Management degree at Shawnee State University, visit shawnee.edu/sport-management.