In the wake of all that is happening in society today, the goal of Academy of Art Athletics remains the same: to help shine a light on our amazing student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. With that in mind, ART U brings to you the latest installment of the Knights Roundtable!

 
Leading off the 2021 installments of the roundtable is women's tennis sophomore Yun "Nicole" Shiau! In her first season with the Urban Knights, Nicole collected six singles wins and six doubles victories all alongside fellow sophomore Sofia Ragona with two of those leading Shiau to a PacWest Player of the Week selection in the regular season's finale week. The doubles tandem would go on to be named All-PacWest Third Team while Shiau was All-PacWest Second Team as a singles competitor. She was also both an ITA Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-PacWest honoree in the School of Communications & Media Technologies. Without further delay, let's meet Nicole!

Sports Information: Can you talk a little bit about your hometown and where you grew up? What did you like to do when you were young? 

Nicole: I'm from Taiwan, and my hometown is Taichung. Taichung is a fantastic city where you enjoy both a busy city lifestyle and a chill rural vibe, and it's also the second-largest city in my country. I love going shopping and enjoying the weekend only local markets with my mom. 

Sports Info: When did you first start developing a passion for tennis? What did you like about it?

Nicole: I began playing tennis when I was six years old because my dad is a tennis coach and he wanted to train me as a tennis player since the beginning. Even when I was young, I already had a passion for tennis because I share this excitement with my dad. I like tennis because I get to stay focused and motivated all the time. Being a tennis player means that you always have to push yourself to get better. 

Sports Info: If you could play a set of tennis against anyone, who would it be and why?

Nicole: I would love to play a set with my idol Roger Federer! Even though I wouldn't win a game, I could learn so much from him and take the opportunity to chat and take a picture with him. 

Sports Info: What is one of your favorite activities that is unique to your hometown?

Nicole: My favorite activity that is unique back home is the annual lantern festival. Each year, my hometown will hold a fantastic lantern festival that features that year's Chinese zodiac sign. Everyone would go to the festival and enjoy the incredible lantern scenes. 

Sports Info: If you could be any animal, what would you be and why? 

Nicole: I believe that I would choose to be a dolphin. Not only because dolphin is intelligent, but also it's my "Patronus" based on the quiz of Harry Potter world. (I'm a big Harry Potter fan hahaha) 

Sports Info: Who is one person you look up and why?

Nicole: One person I look up to is my dad. He's the one who always inspired me to be a better tennis player and a better person. He gives everything to my family and never complains. 

Sports Info: What is your favorite part about being a student-athlete?

Nicole: It's the privilege of playing the sport I love and studying the major I enjoy at the same time. It's not easy to find the balance between being an athlete and a student, but I enjoy having this busy life every day. 

Sports Info: Which podcasts do you like to listen to or give you inspiration and why?

Nicole: One of my favorite podcasts is "Supernatural," and I enjoy listening to it a lot because I get to learn something interesting or rare in each episode. It's like my little escape from reality, and it reminds me that the world is full of possibilities.

Sports Info: What is your favorite movie and why?

Nicole: My favorite movie is "Interstellar" by Christoper Nolan. It's such a beautiful film and also inspiring. This film discusses lots of important life topics such as sacrifice and making "no going back" decisions.
 
Sports Info: What attracted you to your major and what do you love most about your major?

Nicole: The opportunity to learn various aspects of the media world attracted me to pick my major. Studying Communications & Media Technologies prepares me to be both in front of and behind the screens. I love how I can keep creating different kinds of projects with my major.