Using Tennis to Support Refugees with Chloe Tsang
You may know Chloe Tsang (’21) as a competitive tennis player, math lover, hobbyist videographer, frequent traveller, or human rights advocate—there’s simply very little she does not do. Chloe was born in Hong Kong, moved to Australia during middle school, and spent a few years in France. During the five years she’s spent at OHS so far, she travels during the school year for tennis competitions.
So, how did Chloe get started with tennis? “My parents introduced me to many different sports when I was little,” Chloe explained, “I took a particular liking to golf and tennis. [My golf] instructor actually told my parents if I kept practicing, I would be pretty good, but I chose tennis instead because standing and swinging was boring for me—I preferred to be running and swinging.” By the time she was seven years old, Chloe was training seriously and playing tournaments.
Now, she trains six days a week, with an average of 20 hours of practice and conditioning, and usually attends one or two tournaments each month. These tournaments have led her all around the world: so far, she’s visited 5 continents and 30 countries, her favorites being Malta and Iceland. Chloe shares that tennis brings her a lot of happiness, but is also linked with self-doubt. “I love that I get to travel, meet different kinds of people, experience different cultures, [and] it’s the best feeling in the world to see the results come through after winning a match.” At the same time, “it is an individual sport so if you win, you have yourself to give credit to, and if you lose, you have only yourself to blame.” For Chloe, tennis is a test of character. There are many moments during a match where negative thoughts can creep in, but she must overcome them each time to play well.
On top of her rigorous training schedule, Chloe balances a full-time OHS course load. “My classes are typically in the morning starting from 6:00 or 7:00 AM, for three to four hours straight, [and I have] evening classes from 11:00 PM. I try to do most of my homework before evening classes or in the afternoons when I don’t have training.” Being an international OHSer is challenging, as it is harder to stay on top of deadlines, schedule courses, attend office hours, and keep in touch with friends. However, her instructors have always been understanding and accommodating, and Chloe tries to look at the extra challenges as a positive thing. “It teaches me how to better handle [and adapt to] unideal situations [...] after years of studying remotely, I've learned how to make the most of the pros and overcome the cons that crop up when the world is your school.”
Understandably, Chloe has found that the biggest challenges in balancing tennis and school have been time management and getting sufficient rest. “Balancing a rigorous course load at OHS and staying on top of sport and academic obligations is incredibly difficult, but you just have to be organized and make sure that every day you put in the work and plan ahead,” she says. “If anything, having a social life is the bigger challenge for me. [...] The reality is that I move a lot between places throughout the year, so it’s harder to catch up with friends and do normal social activities.”
Though tennis comes with rewards and sacrifices, ultimately Chloe feels that tennis has given her a sense of what it is to really want and fight for something. “It’s something else to physically [...] work hard, [giving] your blood, sweat, and tears to reach a result. Not only that, but a lot of the things I have done and sacrificed for the sport has taught me many other life lessons that will no doubt stay with me for life.”
One of these lessons is related to privilege. As she travelled through small shanty towns in under-developed countries and saw the depths of poverty firsthand, Chloe realized that her earnings would be more significant to people in the third world. “Over the course of my travels, I realized how incredibly fortunate I am to have a home to go to while millions of refugees and displaced persons all over the globe do not. I want to do something in my life that helps others and not just myself,” Chloe shares, “right now, there are over 60 million refugees and displaced people in the world.”
Last year, Chloe started raising funds for the International Rescue Committee, a highly-rated charity that responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, including the refugee crisis. So far, she’s raised $7000 USD out of her $10000 USD goal. “I believe that a single dollar could change a person’s life. For every $2.00 we donate, they get 10 packs of oral rehydration salts to treat diarrhea, every $7.00 is a durable mosquito net for one family, and every $64.00 is a month’s supply of nutritious food for two refugee children. This kind of impact speaks for itself.”
In her efforts to use tennis to raise money for refugees, Chloe has run into challenges, specifically regarding the image of refugees. “Most people are aware of the plight of refugees. [...] The challenge is getting people to act, be empathetic to the situation and act on their moral culpability. With the current environment of increased racism, xenophobia and intolerance, it is harder to get people to look past the mass numbers and consider the humanity of the individual.” Because refugees are often blamed for societal problems such as unemployment, overcrowding, and crime, Chloe has dedicated more time to posting accurate information and stories on her social media profile to represent refugees more positively. OHS has also played a role in Chloe’s learning about humanitarian issues. One of her favorite classes at OHS has been DFRL, which provided her with the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of human rights.
Outside of tennis and advocacy, Chloe likes video editing and being outdoors. Filming the places that she has travelled is a way for Chloe to keep those memories alive—“I’m like Dory, very forgetful. I enjoy making a piece of work that sums up my whole experience at a place through an artistic style of editing - a gateway into my mind and perspective.” She also loves to spend time with her family, especially her younger sister. As for academics, Chloe likes to deal with data and numbers. After high school, Chloe plans to pursue Applied Maths, play college tennis, and continue her involvement in the human rights field.