Jade Chang

• Age: 28
• Where I live: Austin, Texas
• Where I'm from: New England

Sport Interests: Wakeboarding, golf, tennis, running, weightlifting, rock climbing, just about anything.

How I got started in sports: I played tennis, ice skated, and skied since I was very little. With wakebaording, I popped up on my first try, and I've been hopelessly addicted ever since.

Athletic achievements: NCAA rower on the rowing team at the Univerisity of Texas at Austin, 1999 Collegiate Women’s Weightlifting Champion for 48 kg weight class.

Athletic goals: Continue to stay in shape by lifting and running and stretch my limits of adrenaline and adventure by wakeboarding, rock climbing, and mountain climbing.

Favorite spot to do my sport: Guadalupe River.

Favorite Girls4Sport wear: Halter top!

My job: I am the president of American Asphalt, which provides asphalt and concrete services for residential and commercial customers in central Texas.

Education: University of Texas at Austin.

Philosophy: My philosophy on life is to go ahead and put it out there. With great risk comes great reward. We live in a country that allows us to stretch ourselves and see how far and how high we can go. It’s amazing! I have traveled to many countries—Africa, Middle East, Europe, Latin American, and Asia. Being a woman in the USA, I am already one of the luckiest women in the world. Where else would a young minority woman like me have the incredible opportunity to open a business in a male-dominated industry, and get credit and loans to finance it? I am so grateful, and I believe that the only reason I have had this privilege is because there have been extraordinary women who have struggled for equality in the generations before me. I feel that it is my duty to follow in their footsteps and continue to fight for progress. My philosophy is to step out there and see how far you can fly because you live in a country where the sky’s the limit. After all, no matter what happens, it’ll still be the experience of a lifetime.

Inspiration: My personal role model is Oprah because she uses her God-given gifts and influence to do so much good for the world. It is so inspiring. In professional life, I like Hillary Clinton. She is strong in head and heart, intelligent, savvy, and not afraid to go for the gold.