By Madeline Swanson | Art by Nate Bynum
The University of Michigan has a rich and storied athletics tradition going all the way back to 1865-66, when intercollegiate competition officially began with the baseball season. Today, there are 29 different varsity sports teams, and countless student-athletes have been proud to call themselves Michigan Wolverines.
At U‑M, donor-funded scholarships can be a key part of students’ and student-athletes’ success. Lessening the financial burden for Michigan’s budding competitors helps them flourish in the classroom, in their sport, and ultimately, in their lives after they leave campus.
Leaders & Best (L&B) spoke with four student-athletes who are recipients of these scholarships about competing for Michigan and how donors are making an impact on their college experience:
- Sierra Brooks, Donald R. Shepherd Women's Gymnastics Scholarship, Donald R. Shepard Spirit Award-Women’s Gymnastics, McTaggart Nolan Family Women’s Gymnastics Scholarship
- Juan Ceresa, Matt Mann Men's Swimming and Diving Scholarship; Gumenick Family LEAD Scholarship; Jones, Ruth Abbott Scholarship; Morahan Family Scholarship
- Tarris Reed Jr., Caplan Family Basketball Expendable Scholarship, Feiwell Family Basketball Scholarship
- Kata Utassy, Zatkoff Family Scholarship for Women's Water Polo
Leaders & Best: Tell us a bit about your background and how you chose to come to Michigan.
Sierra Brooks: I grew up always wanting to be a college gymnast. I went to a few of Michigan’s gymnastics camps as a kid and truly just loved it all. At that point, I made Michigan my number one school. I didn't feel like I had to sacrifice academics to go to an athletically competitive school.
Juan Ceresa: Growing up, I bled maize and blue. My father swam for Michigan’s 1987 Big Ten Championship team, so it was my dream to swim for Michigan just like my dad. My grandfather also played football for Michigan from 1964-1967.
Tarris Reed Jr.: I’m a center on the men’s basketball team. Growing up as a little kid, Michigan was one of my favorite schools. I remember telling my parents, ‘I want to go to the University of Michigan one day,’ and now I'm out here living the dream.
Kata Utassy: I grew up playing water polo. My brother was a water polo goalie, so when my family encouraged me to try it, that’s how I ended up in the sport.
Sierra Brooks, Chicago, IL
- Donald R. Shepherd Women's Gymnastics Scholarship
- BBA ’23; Ross School of Business, class of 2024
- Master of Business Analytics
L&B: What is it like competing for Michigan? Any highlights?
Brooks: It's been one of the best experiences of my life, to say the least. It's so fun being able to compete for something bigger than yourself, and it has definitely formed who I have grown to be over the past few years because we get to be on so many different teams from year to year. I'm going into my fifth year now, meaning a fifth team of all different individuals. And so you learn so much about yourself, about your own leadership and what environments you thrive in, and which ones you don't. So that's been one of my greatest takeaways.
Ceresa: Swimming in a Big Ten final at home in Ann Arbor was amazing. And also, of course, winning the Big Ten Championship in 2020 was huge. But more so, what I'll take away from it in the end is just the people that I've met along the way and have had the pleasure of getting to know and learn from.
Reed Jr.: I was blessed with the opportunity to play my freshman year. Last year, I really had to find myself around the team, figure out who I really was, what my role was on the team. And it was hard at times trying to focus on school, basketball, and life outside of basketball. But now, I'm able to be more comfortable knowing my role, knowing the team, and really just trying to take everything one step at a time.
Utassy: The team is awesome and the resources that we have here are so incredible. The cultural shock of coming to America wasn't just outside of the pool, but inside of the pool as well because the game is a little different here than it is in Europe, so I definitely had to get used to that. But I always get butterflies when I can say, "Oh, I'm at Stanford right now for a match," or "Oh, I'm actually at Harvard or Princeton playing a game." It's so cool, because these are places I grew up learning about and hearing about. So for me, it’s a dream.
Juan Ceresa, Austin, TX
- Matt Mann Men's Swimming and Diving Scholarship
- College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, class of 2024
- Computer Science
L&B: How do you balance athletic achievements and academic success? How do they work together?
Brooks: In terms of being a student-athlete during grad school, it's been a lot harder than undergrad. Our pace is just super fast, which is one challenge. But, like with gymnastics, it's a very diverse group, and that's been cool that our cohort for my program, which is Masters of Business Analytics, has students who went to so many different schools. It's cool meeting other people and seeing where they've been and getting their perspective.
Ceresa: I took a risk committing to a very extensive Michigan degree with computer science while swimming at the same time. And that was a really hard adjustment. But, the intangibles that I've learned through swimming—how to work hard, how to improve at something even though you might not be the best at it to start—those are things that I've applied to my studies as well.
Reed Jr.: I'm big on my faith. So that’s the number one thing. A lot of times I live such a rushed life, so sometimes I really have to take my time, just live in the present moment, not trying to focus on the future so much, but really live and dwell in the moment I am in right now.
Utassy: When I was first looking into Michigan, it was because of the high-level water polo opportunity, but also really good academics. I always put an emphasis on school, so I thought that would be a perfect match. Studying both communications and psychology, it can be a challenge at a university as great as this, but it’s been an amazing experience.
Tarris Reed Jr., St. Louis, MO
- Caplan Family Basketball Expendable Scholarship, Feiwell Family Basketball Scholarship
- School of Kinesiology, class of 2026
- Sports Management
L&B: How has being a recipient of a donor-funded scholarship had an impact on your experience as a student-athlete?
Brooks: It's tremendously impacted my student-athlete experience. It allows me to focus on athletics and academics without being worried about how I’m going to pay rent or if I have enough money to get dinner that night. As athletes, it motivates us to some degree, too, because I think we know that we're in a situation that is better than most, or a situation that a lot of people would want to be in, whether they're a collegiate athlete or not. I know so many people would want to be a scholarship athlete at Michigan, so it allows us to take a step back on days that are harder when we know that there are so many people who are invested in us.
Ceresa: I was very honored to receive a scholarship named after Matt Mann, who represents so much of the history of the program. Scholarship support for non-revenue sports means so much for student-athletes, just as a recognition of all the hard work that we put into our sports and in academics.
Reed Jr.: Being able to go to a university as prestigious as the University of Michigan is amazing and to have scholarships is really an awesome opportunity.
Utassy: It was the biggest factor for me, because I couldn't afford studying in the U.S. at all, let alone at Michigan. For me, I always say that it's life changing, and it always fills me with gratitude when I think about it. So I always like to say that if people ever think about donating money, just think about how you can literally change people's lives.
Kata Utassy, Budapest, Hungary
- Zatkoff Family Scholarship for Women's Water Polo
- College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, class of 2025
- Communications and Psychology
L&B: What does donor support mean to you?
Brooks: The fact that people are willing to give back shows how impactful this school is and how amazing our alums are. We start to really realize that when we see that people are willing to give back and invest in future students and student-athletes that they don't even know.
Ceresa: I think that it just serves as such a good recognition, and honestly, a motivation for the continuation of a strong history of excellence in the program.
Reed Jr.: I would say allowing us to really focus on our sport and school at the same time. I know a lot of college kids, they're always worried about how much they have to pay for tuition or when they're going to pay things off. So for me, being a student-athlete, I'm blessed to be able to focus on my academics first and then my skill on the basketball court.
Utassy: It means that I can afford living. I don't have to worry about buying my textbooks every year, which I know is very stressful for a lot of my peers. Or just being able to cover the flights for me to go home, without me having to stress about the rest. It’s an amazing feeling.