By Hope Vang
Four years ago, Winta Tewolde stepped onto Columbia University’s campus for the first time. This summer, Tewolde celebrated the end of her undergraduate journey by walking across the stage at Columbia University’s graduation commencement ceremony. As she moves forward into her career as an investment banking analyst at J.P. Morgan, Tewolde’s academic and professional success is a direct result of the community she was introduced to and later helped to foster.
Tewolde was recruited by Columbia University’s women’s tennis team after playing competitively since childhood. Growing up in San Diego, California, Tewolde’s family moved to an apartment that was right across the street from tennis courts. Her two older brothers began playing, and she soon followed in their footsteps. Southern California is deemed a prime spot for competitive tennis, and Tewolde went on to win several first-place awards in numerous championships throughout high school. “College tennis was always in the plan,” Tewolde said. “Columbia was perfect because of its location, class sizes, and student body. I always wanted a school that was great at tennis and was also academically rigorous.”
On a large and competitive campus, Tewolde dealt with imposter syndrome. She questioned whether she belonged with all of these other students if she was only there for tennis. Her competitive edge from sports helped her find belonging on campus, and it was the girls on her tennis team who welcomed her in and mentored her throughout her first year as a college student. “I studied economics at Columbia,” she said. “I was always someone who preferred numbers over essays. I was supported and inspired by the girls on my tennis team because they also majored in economics and got great jobs in finance. I was determined to take on the challenge.”
Tewolde would later take inspiration from the girls before her and implement similar approaches to fostering community as their tennis captain, she recalled: “Tennis is a super individual sport, and it doesn’t require you to be on a team. Being on a team teaches you how to constantly be around people. I always make sure to lead by example because that is the loudest way to lead.” Thus, Tewolde always made sure that the girls on her team had someone rooting for them, being a resource when they needed one, and modeling what it meant to be a kind and strong leader.
Nearly 3,000 miles away, Tewolde also had her family rooting for her. “Your support system is super important,” she said. “I have two amazing parents who were always the voice of reason and encouragement.” Her parents’ love came with the affirmation of “You belong here.” Since she was a child, Tewolde’s parents were very active in all aspects of her life, showing up by her side on the tennis court or at all of her school events. “My parents are a huge source of motivation to work hard and be successful,” said Tewolde.
Tewolde’s induction into ΦBK came as a surprise. “I didn’t know ΦBK was an organization until I received an email,” she recalled. “Someone sent me a text with a congratulations message, and I shared this news with a tennis mate. I was very proud of myself.” Tewolde indicated that she made sacrifices to her social life by balancing classwork and sports practice, but her ΦBK invitation affirmed that all of the hard work she put in was paying off. When she arrived at the induction ceremony, she realized the gravity of her accomplishment: “I recognized academically rigorous people that I had classes with, and I was being celebrated with the most esteemed professors on campus. It was surreal.” This year, Tewolde was the only student-athlete initiated into Columbia University’s 2025 ΦBK cohort. “It was so shocking to me to be in the top 2% and the only student-athlete,” she said. “I was proud of my time management because it meant I was doing well at both school and tennis. I made the most of my time at Columbia.”
Not only are the people that Tewolde surrounds herself with important to her success, but it was also her desire to make the most of everything that led her to her ΦBK membership. From managing her time between school and tennis to role-modeling how to create meaningful and helpful relationships with peers and professors, Tewolde’s confidence at Columbia University helped her feel like she belonged on campus. Her advice for aspiring ΦBK members is this: “Focusing on putting 100% of your effort into something means that you will be rewarded. If I put in 100% of my effort into something, I 100% increase my chance of being successful. Even if I don’t do well, the least I can do is try.”
Hope Vang graduated from the University of California, Irvine in June 2023 with a B.A. in English, a B.A. in Comparative Literature, and a minor in Creative Writing. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa by UCI’s Mu of California chapter during her senior year. This fall, she will be a second-year master’s student in English Literature at Fresno State University.