The alias that Andrea Goldberg ’02 uses in her e-mail is “supergirl”, a fitting label for the recent winner of a Glamour Magazine scholarship naming “10 Women Who Could Change the World.”
Goldberg, who plays the No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles positions on the Yale varsity women’s tennis team, received the award for her service to the community as a reproductive-rights defender, as well as for her achievements in athletics and academics. The article also noted that Goldberg plans to work on getting universal healthcare coverage.
After learning about the $2000 scholarship in January of last year, Goldberg applied and was chosen for the honor over the summer. She then appeared in Glamour in October and on the CBS Morning Show this past Friday.
“In terms of winning the scholarship, I always think it’s impressive to balance athletics and academics,” Goldberg said.
While none of the other scholarship recipients are athletes, she believes that her own participation on the tennis team has helped her hone skills that she uses off the court.
“If the way you’re playing isn’t working against a particular opponent, you need to change it,” Goldberg said, adding that this ability is necessary to succeed in various areas of life.
Women’s varsity tennis coach Chad Skorupka says he can see Goldberg’s work ethic and consistency on the tennis court.
“A person like Andrea needs to be in great mental and physical shape,” he said.
He believes that Goldberg’s time management skills have played a major role in her accomplishments — she plays two hours of tennis five to six days every week. This has led to success in both athletics and academics.
“I think Andrea sets very high goals for herself in the classroom and on the tennis court,” Skorupka said.
Goldberg is pre-med, a member of the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society, and has been named to the Academic All-Ivy Team. She hopes to get a master’s degree in public health before going on to medical school. She aspires to become president of Planned Parenthood, Surgeon General or director of the UNAIDS project.
“I want to do something where I can work in public policy and medicine,” Goldberg said.
Goldberg’s belief that it is important to have control over one’s own body has sparked her interest in reproductive rights.
“Any limitation on my control over my own body is unacceptable to me,” she said.
Aside from gaining this perspective through athletics, Goldberg also said she thinks that having played tennis for 17 years has strengthened her character and will help her in all her future endeavors.
“[Tennis] has shown me the direct relationship between hard work and success,” she said.