In the spring of 2017, Vanderbilt’s Sara Tsai suffered an Achilles injury during a routine workout, forcing Tsai to miss her entire junior season.
In the spring of 2017, Vanderbilt’s Sara Tsai suffered an Achilles injury during a routine workout. The injury would ultimately require surgery and force Tsai, a senior from Eugene, Oregon, to miss her entire junior season as a distance runner at Vanderbilt.
Today, Tsai said that setback challenged her both emotionally and physically. But such adversity also helped sparked a passion in Tsai, one that has come to fruition through academics at Vanderbilt.
“When I was on crutches, wearing a boot and couldn’t walk, it was one of the hardest things ever,” Tsai said. “It inspired me to go into something where I can aid human mobility, because that’s such a fundamental part of being a person. I know the joy running has given me, the freedom of movement, and I don’t want people to lose that.”
