Scholar Stories: On Path to East Lansing, Lee Changes Course to Thrive at U-M
11/11/2020 9:54:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Features
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Absopure.
By Emma Warshofsky
Starting his cross country career in middle school, Jacob Lee had always dreamed of taking his talent to the college level -- at Michigan State.
Lee put these big goals in writing during the eighth grade. On a piece of paper that he still has back home in Fenton, Mich., Lee wrote: I want to run for a Big Ten institution.
His eighth-grade self would no doubt be surprised to learn that he would become a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier for the University of Michigan men's cross country team.
"I grew up a huge Spartan fan," Lee said. "Both my parents went to State. I would have been a fourth-generation Spartan."
Upon taking his first and only visit to U-M during his senior year of high school, Lee was ready to go against the family tradition. He immediately felt at home on campus and felt that head coach Kevin Sullivan was invested in him and his future.
"I didn't just choose a school. I chose one of the best universities in the world," Lee said. "I didn't just choose a program. I chose the reigning Big Ten champions. I didn't just choose a coach. I chose a three-time Olympian. Michigan was the top choice."
During his career at Michigan, Lee has accomplished even more of the dreams he had growing up. By his junior year, he was in uniform for the team's run at the NCAA Championships.
"It was like, 'Finally, my dream is coming true,'" Lee said.
That year, 2018, was exciting, but also nerve-racking. Michigan finished 19th (out of 31 teams), a lower finish than they would have liked, though it was one spot better than their ranking of 20th going into the meet.
Now knowing what to expect, Lee felt a bit more at ease for his second go-around at the NCAA Championships as a senior. He remembers the team having an exceptional performance that day, finishing seventh, the program's highest in 20 years.
"Before the gun goes off, I just try to think positive thoughts," Lee said. "I've been here before, it's just a race. If it's an 8K, it's only 25 minutes of pain. If it's a 10K, it's only 30 minutes of pain. I can do anything for 25-30 minutes if I just focus on it. The mindset is: how can I get more points for the team?"
Lee credits the team aspect of cross country as being a huge motivation and one of his favorite things about the sport. By constantly pushing each other to be at their full potential, Lee says the team dynamic is like family.
"We're all in it together, we're all running the same event, we're all constantly cheering each other on," Lee said. "Our team culture is second-to-none."
Lee graduated last spring with a degree in economics and currently is a graduate student in the Ross School of Business through the Master of Management (MM) program. He also had the opportunity to work as an intern with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's strategy department this past summer.
Through these experiences, Lee has learned more about what he wants out of his professional life after his time at Michigan.
"It opened up my eyes to the world of consulting and strategy," Lee said of his summer internship. "I noticed that a lot of people who graduated from the MM program went on to get careers in consulting, so I thought that might be a good pathway for me to take after undergrad."
Searching for an experience similar to the close-knit community Lee has found through cross country, he hopes to find a professional career at a small organization rather than working for a large firm.
"That way it's more of a personal experience," he explained. "You know everyone within the company and you all know the goals you want to achieve -- kind of like a cross country team, more or less. There are 30 guys that you know for sure how they function and their strengths and weaknesses."
Most importantly, Lee hopes to find a career where he can make a positive impact. Through a class called Finance Through Social Good, he is exploring what exactly this might look like for him in the future.
"I'm trying to find ways that I can make my career into something that's really positive for the world."
Lee is grateful for Coach Sullivan, his family, his teammates, as well as the academic and athletic support staff for helping him achieve his goals. Overall, he is confident he made the right decision when he chose the University of Michigan.
"The Michigan experience has been absolutely incredible for me," he said. "In my opinion, it's one of the best, well-rounded universities in the world. From an academic standpoint and from an athletic standpoint, there's no place like Michigan. If I were to do it all over again, I'd be a Wolverine fan right from the get-go."
