Scholar Stories: Chopra Setting Herself Up for Success Post Graduation
10/18/2023 4:58:00 PM | Volleyball
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 Mya Fromwiller
From a young age, University of Michigan volleyball Mira Chopra knew that she wanted to play volleyball at the collegiate level, and always dreamed of playing in the Big Ten.
"I grew up watching volleyball at the collegiate level because I grew up in a college town (Champaign, Ill.)," said Chopra. "I would go watch the games and think it would be so cool to play in the Big Ten one day."
She started playing volleyball in elementary school with some of her friends, but as she got older, she grew to love the competitive nature of the sport. Before high school started, she chose to focus on volleyball and decided to start playing club volleyball. This set her up for success with recruiting, and she soon acquired offers to play at schools across the country.
Although she had the opportunity to play volleyball at several different universities, there were a few factors that drew Mira to Michigan. One of these factors was the prestigious academic curriculum available here, because she wanted to play volleyball at a school with good academics as well.
"After college, I want to have a good career," she expressed. "Michigan sets you up for success in the future, which is something that really drew me here."
Mira is currently a junior pursuing the Biology, Health, and Society (BHS) major through the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, and is on the pre-med track. While Mira always knew she wanted to pursue a career in medicine, she recently found an interest in dentistry, which she plans to pursue after her time at Michigan.
In addition to her major in BHS, Chopra recently declared a business minor through the Ross School of Business. She chose this minor because she thought it would supplement her interest in dentistry well.
"If I wanted to open my own practice one day, it would be super helpful," Chopra said.
When asked why she wanted to pursue a career in medicine, she expressed her love for working with others.
"I love helping people and want to help people," Chopra said. "If you go into medicine, you get to do a lot of that."
Last year, Chopra earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, proving she is just as accomplished in the classroom as she is on the volleyball court. When asked how she balances being a competitive athlete and extremely rigorous coursework, she said that time management is key.
"What helps me be successful is doing work in any of my free time," said Chopra. "I'm always on a schedule, so having that routine is super helpful. When we travel, I use the bus rides or the waiting time in the airport to study or get work done. It's important to be very efficient with the time you have."
Although academics were a big factor in Chopra's decision to come to U-M, the school and team culture also were extremely important. She hoped to find a sense of community both at the university and on her volleyball team, and she was definitely able to find that here.
"I just love the Michigan culture," Chopra said. "You can go anywhere in the world and get a 'Go Blue!'"
This sense of community extends into the culture of the volleyball team as well.
"Our team is super close. My teammates are my best friends, which is something that really draws me here," Chopra said. "You're constantly with your teammates, and these are the people that are with you every step of the way."
After she graduates, Chopra hopes to find this sense of community again in her career, which is one of the things that is drawing her to dentistry.
"Whatever career I go into, I'm also hoping it's a community," she said. "If I ever open my own dental practice one day, I want it to have a team atmosphere, which I've seen when I shadow people."
Despite the busy schedule and long travel days, Chopra is extremely grateful to be a student athlete, and is appreciative of all the life skills that being a student athlete has helped her develop.
"Being a student athlete shows you how to lead and work on a team," Chopra said. "It also gives you a great work ethic, and you become really good at balancing a lot of things at once. These will translate into whatever career I choose to pursue."
