Jodi Au

Senior Jodi Au will be attending Northeastern University as a diver and a business major after seven years of diving. Au’s athletic career began with gymnastics but she transitioned into diving because of the intense time commitment that came with gymnastics.

Au had a head start when it came to diving techniques and competition mentality because of her prior experience in gymnastics, which allowed her to excel in her new sport and participate in her first diving competition in seventh grade. Au’s main events are the one-meter and three-meter springboards, which are scored on degree of difficulty and execution, but she occasionally competes on the five-meter and seven-meter platforms too.

Au has incurred challenges throughout her diving journey; in her sophomore year, she felt burned out from trying to balance her academic, social and athletic life. Her days started with school, then going home to do homework before going to practice, which was followed by more homework. 

“I’ve never not had a sport, so although my daily routine is packed, it’s quite normal for me,” Au said. “This also meant turning down invitations to hang out with friends and other events that I would have otherwise liked to have gone to.”

When the pandemic struck during the latter half of her sophomore year, Au was able to reflect on her priorities since she was forced to take a break from diving. She is now intrinsically motivated and dives for her own enjoyment rather than just to see her friends at the pool. 

This year, Au also has a lighter schedule to accommodate her priorities and practice schedule. She practices two hours a day, six days a week. With only first and second period at Lynbrook, Au is able to work at a cafe in the mornings, take classes at De Anza College and end the day with practice at the diving pool. 

Beyond the strength of their diving program, Au also evaluated colleges based on their academics, how well the environment fit her personality and their location. After emailing some of her favorite schools and keeping in touch with them throughout the summer, Au finally decided to commit to Northeastern.

“I chose Northeastern because they have an amazing co-op program and because their coach was the most supportive and understanding in acknowledging that student athletes have a lot to juggle,” Au said.

Au looks forward to building a community with her team and coaches and experiencing different team dynamics the most.