Q: Talk about your first encounter with sports...

A: The first sport that I played was soccer when I was about five years old. I was the only girl on the team, but I scored three goals in my first game! Ever since then I've been hooked on sports.

Q: What led or motivated you to play?

A: My father has always been an active athlete, so he encouraged me to get involved in a host of sports. I liked playing mainly because it was a great way to meet different people and travel.

Q: In your hometown, what was the sports culture like for girls?

A: The sports culture in Ottawa, Canada was fantastic. I never felt as if I was excluded from any sporting opportunities. For several years, I played on boys soccer teams (from about five to 10). I was also able to compete against guys in squash and participate in men's city leagues. There were also diverse opportunities for girls to get involved in typically "male sports" like hockey, rugby and even football.

Q: How did you get to where you are today and what would you attribute that to?

A: I would have to attribute my success to those who surrounded me and helped me throughout my career. Without my coach, I know for a fact that I would not have achieved what I have up until now (she was the No. 3 squash player in the world in the early 1990's). She is a phenomenal coach and friend. My parents are another source of my success, because not only have they always supported what I've done financially and emotionally, but they have never put any pressure on me to perform. I think that's very important. I've learned a lot of valuable lessons from various coaches, players and friends along the way which have helped me out. Lastly, hard work, discipline, and a constant commitment to improvement have been essential elements for achieving my goals.

Q: What has playing sports done for you?

A: I think that sports have been a great way to learn and enhance leadership and personal skills. On the Penn Women's Squash Team for instance, there are 15 people on the team, all with different skill levels, personalities, preferences, etc. As a captain and player, I have had to learn to compromise with my other teammates and I am constantly faced with the challenge of trying to bring these individuals into some sort of coherent whole. Also, squash has made me more disciplined and organized because I have always had to juggle more activities than the average person.

Q: At what point did you realize you wanted to go to an Ivy League school?

A: I didn't even think that going to an Ivy League school was an option until I was recruited my junior year for squash. It was at that point that I realized what a great opportunity was being afforded to me to go to UPenn.

Q: Is there a certain athlete you admire and why?

A: There is a squash player from Malaysia named Nicole David whom I admire greatly. She was the junior world champion, and has been ranked as high as the top 20, and she is only about 18 years old. Aside from her incredible talent as a squash player, what I love most about her is how respectful and sportsmanlike she is on court. Although she is by far the best junior in the world, she always shows complete respect for her opponents, no matter what their ranking. She is also very friendly, gracious and humble off the court. In my mind, those are characteristics that make a true champion, and I certainly aspire to be like her.

Q: What is the significance of Title IX to you?

A: I think that Title IX is a long-overdue acknowledgment of the fact that women have a rightful place in sport, and that we deserve equal representation and funding. I think that Title IX has been a positive force in helping change peoples' attitudes of women in sport.

Q: In your opinion, what has been a shining moment in women's sports?

A: For me, being Canadian, a shining moment in women's sport was when the Canadian Women's Hockey Team won the gold medal at the Salt Lake City Olympics. There was so much focus on the men's hockey team, that it was so exciting to see the women be able to share an equal portion of the spotlight with the men. The women's team had never won before, and they were all playing for pure pride (their salaries were minimal). That win was clearly one of the main highlights of those Olympics, and really made the nation proud.

Q: What would you tell young girls who are interested in getting to where you are now?

A: My advice to young girls pursuing sports is to set high goals for yourself and never let others bring you down. With enough focus, commitment and hard work, you can achieve virtually anything! And lastly, unless you're truly passionate about what you do, your potential will never be fully realized - in other words, the main purpose of sport is to have fun, so as long as you continue enjoying what you do, you can't go wrong!