This is an article in Sporty Seniors, a bi-weekly column celebrating M-A senior athletes’ dedication to their sport.
Sports have been a part of senior Jocelyn Chang’s life for as long as she can remember. Chang has played club volleyball for six years and has been a member of M-A’s volleyball program for four. Additionally, she swam competitively for 10 years before joining the M-A swim team her freshman year.
“I have always been swimming. My mother put me in swimming lessons when I was super young, and I decided I would just stick with it,” Chang said. She grew up swimming at Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics and Alpine Hills Tennis and Swimming Club.
Chang was 13 years old when she started playing club volleyball at Red Rock Volleyball Club. “My dad really inspired me to play volleyball because he really loved it,” she said. “We would play for fun in our backyard, and so I decided I would start playing club. I had never really played a ball sport, but it worked out.”
Despite starting volleyball on the later side, Chang didn’t feel very behind. “I just kind of threw myself in,” she said. “Now, people start really early, at nine and 10 years old, but when I started, I felt like people were still developing at the same level.” She now plays at Academy Volleyball Club.
When it comes to swimming, Chang has her preferred races. “Now that I only do high school swimming, I pretty much only do the sprinting events,” she said. She mainly enjoys the 50 and 100-yard freestyle races.
Last year was full of athletic highlights for Chang. In volleyball, she was named MVP of the PAL and led the volleyball team to second place in CCS Division I. “We did really well in our season and we won our league,” she said. Chang’s swim team experienced similar success, going undefeated in PAL in 2025.
Despite these accomplishments, Chang has faced challenges throughout her athletic journey, particularly when it came to her perfectionism. “My biggest challenge is probably having to deal with the stress and anxiety,” she said. “Having a strong mental state and being confident in myself is really hard for me. It was kind of hard to break away from that, but I think now that I’ve become more mentally strong, it’s made me a better athlete.”
Contrary to the typical student-athlete, Chang hasn’t struggled with time management. Instead, she feels her sports have increased her efficiency. “It has really helped me stay more organized and also just keep myself busy,” she said.
Chang recently went through the recruitment process for volleyball, ultimately committing to Tufts University starting in the 2026-27 school year. “I just can’t wait to play at Tufts, but also be a student there and study biology,” she said. “I chose it because of the people that I met when I was there. The staff and students seemed really engaged and to love the school they were a part of.”
The recruitment process turned out to be longer than Chang expected. “It was just a lot of emails, being consistent, a lot of travel, but I would say it was definitely worth it in the end.”
Luckily, Chang has her family and friends to thank for supporting her through the process. “My mom was really good at helping me with my recruitment,” she said. “If I didn’t have her, I do not think I would be as organized about it as I was. My parents have always just been super supportive of me continuing to do competitive sports. They’re just incredible.”
Chang’s advice to other athletes at M-A is simple: “Don’t be afraid to try something new. Just be a great teammate and person.”
