Wu Can’t Imagine Life Without Soccer

Soccer had been and always will be a large part of who Elsa Wu actually is.

After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 2012, Wu moved to New York to begin her job at Nomura Securities in their Global Markets division.  Currently, she is working for the same company, but as a trader in their Securitized Products group.  CMU prepared her well for all the pressure and demands that a career requires.

“CMU is very demanding academically, and along with playing a collegiate sport, it instilled a work ethic and discipline that’s useful in any aspect of life,” Wu said.

“I think one of the best ways CMU prepared me was learning how to deal with multiple responsibilities and not getting stressed out about it,” Wu explained. “By the time you’re a senior at CMU, you’re so used to all the pressure that it’s easy to deal with everything with a level head.”

Wu didn’t want to completely give up soccer, but unfortunately couldn’t play for almost a year due to ankle surgery. Recently she started to get back into the game by playing in a couple leagues which she considers to be “the highlight of my week,” and is looking forward to being able to play again.

Wu believes that being on the soccer team at Carnegie Mellon was an integral part of her college experience. 

“I know everyone says this, but I really can’t imagine what it would have been like without soccer,” Wu said. “The team was and still is my family and quite frankly, playing soccer probably kept me sane with the stress of school.”

Unfortunately, Wu isn’t able to make it to many of the current team’s events, but she was there for the NCAA tournament and is always looking out for games in New York.

“I think it’s absolutely incredible how successful the team has been these past couple years,” Wu said. “Not only did they get to the tournament; they played well and went far.”

Although Wu is sad she wasn’t able to be a part of it, she certainly was a pioneer of the current team’s success as a two-time All-Region first team selection, and is proud to see how far the program has come.

“If I could, I would play on the team again,” Wu pointed out. “It is really important to me to remain a part of CMU athletics because it was such a big part of my life.”

Wu has been giving back to Carnegie Mellon athletics and the soccer program since she was a student-athlete.  She first gave back to become a Loyal Scot, but then she realized that no matter how big, every gift helps the school’s rank.

“I figured, even if it’s just donating a tiny bit, a small amount can go a long way if everyone gives back,” Wu said of donating as a student-athlete.

Wu still continues to give back today, making her a member of the Tartan Athletics Club.

“I want everyone to have an amazing experience at CMU, so if continuing to give back helps out, I am happy to do so,” Wu said.