Freshman Anna Chan was acknowledged by the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) as tennis rookie of the week on September 12, 2016. This is Kean University's second rookie of the week recognition for the fall 2016 season thus far.
Hailing from Washington Township, New Jersey, Chan was awarded the honor after her performance in matches against Rutgers-Newark and Neumann University. Her win at fifth singles was the deciding factor in Kean University's 5-4 victory over Rutgers-Newark while her win at fourth singles and second doubles contributed to a team win over Neumann University.
After playing tennis in gym class during freshman year of high school, Chan found she was good at the sport and decided to tryout for the team her sophomore year, where her tennis career began. Chan played doubles in high school, but now she is playing both singles and doubles.
"It's a lot more work than high school and they expect a lot from you coming in, so you can't just walk on and not know anything because it's a college sport," Chan said. "You have to be prepared."
Not knowing whether she prefers doubles or singles, Chan can definitely see the differences in the two now that she plays both at the collegiate level. 
"[In] Doubles you rely on the other person whereas [in] singles it's just yourself," Chan explained. "So if you're doing poorly that day, it also affects your partners score and how you play."
Serena Williams is a big inspiration for her, and Chan also looks up to her coaches and teachers. With dreams of one day being a good teacher and possibly a coach, she wants to inspire kids to do well. The elementary education major is looking to focus on either math or science.
When asked about her future athletic goals, Chan has a very specific one in mind.
"I really want to be on that banner on the Cougar Walk," Chan said. "Ever since I saw it, I was like 'I want to be on there'."
Finishing with a winning team record and personally improving her overall skills while becoming more consistent are Chan's goals for the current season underway.
When looking for a college, Chan focused on the rate of education majors who enter the field of teaching upon graduating, and would then look into if tennis was offered at the institution. She looked at Montclair and Rowan universities but neither had a tennis program, thus she found a home at Kean University where she was offered the best of both worlds.
Only a month and a half into the season, Chan's teammates have already become her best friends.
"We do everything together: lunch, dinner, study," Chan said. "They help me improve, gain mentally, [and] give me tips on college life."
No one else in Chan's family played tennis until she started getting her sisters involved in the sport.
"One lives in Atlanta and the other one lives in Virginia, so they joined leagues and started playing too," Chan said. "So it's cute; we all kind of play tennis."
When she's not playing tennis, Chan gets in touch with her creative side and enjoys sewing and making other crafts.
Chan's passion for tennis is very evident, and this passion is driving her success. Keep an eye out for this NJAC rookie of the week during both the remainder of this season and the rest of her career here at Kean University.
