Sarah Vu ‘26 has been named the recipient of the 2026 Jesse Tsu Sport Management Academic Achievement Award after graduating from Rice University in three years.
The award, named after Jesse Tsu ‘11, is presented annually to the graduating senior with the highest cumulative GPA in Rice’s Department of Sport Management.
“Winning the Jesse Tsu Sport Management Academic Achievement Award is incredibly meaningful to me because it represents years of pursuing something I genuinely love: learning,” Vu said. “I believe that this award reflects the intellectual curiosity that has motivated me to seek out new perspectives and challenge myself to grow.”
A native of Sugar Land, Texas, Vu was originally drawn to Rice because of its proximity, small undergraduate population, and tight-knit student body. She expressed satisfaction with her decision to attend Rice, noting that she has made “incredible connections” with professors both inside and outside the classroom. She encourages future Sport Management students to use the program’s professors as a valuable resource.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to get to know my professors, and each of them has broadened my worldview academically and professionally,” Vu said. “The faculty and program are designed to engineer your growth, so take advantage of that opportunity and learn from your peers, professors, and the incredible experiences you’ll get inside the classroom and in your professional experience.”
Upon arriving at Rice, Vu originally planned to study Economics, but she also had familiarity with the sport industry from her experience as a volunteer with SkateTherapy, which supports ice skaters with disabilities. After learning more about the Department of Sport Management, she ultimately chose to pursue majors in Sport Management and Social Policy Analysis.
“I deeply admire how the Sport Management program is intentionally structured to ensure that students are both challenged intellectually and prepared professionally,” Vu said.
She cited different experiences as key components of her education, including Professor in the Practice Tom Stallings’ lessons on building an online portfolio.
“Sarah is a wonderful student and an even better human being,” Stallings said. “When she told me she was graduating a year early, I wasn’t surprised. I knew she was intelligent — she graduated with the highest GPA and did that in three years.”
She also gained valuable education through Professor in the Practice Stephanie Wilka’s Sport Law course and Chair of the Department Clark Haptonstall’s Sport Ethics course, which allowed her to conduct a research project in conjunction with her International Research Experience Anthropology class.
“My research about child professional Muay Thai fighters changed my perspective on how sport, policy, and law could intertwine and motivated me to pursue the study of law with an emphasis on international law, sport law, and human rights,” Vu said.
During her time as an undergraduate student, Vu held internships with Achilles Houston, the Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office, and sportanddev. She remained with sportanddev, a website and global community dedicated to promoting sport and development initiatives across the world, through her graduation in May.
Vu plans to continue her education in Fall 2026 at the University of Texas at Austin Law School, working toward her J.D. Stallings believes she will be successful in this next chapter of her education, and he looks forward to following her progress beyond Rice.
“[Sarah is] somebody that’s very driven, somebody that has a plan,” Stallings said. “One of the things that makes Sarah really special is her authenticity. She’s a really good person. She does things for the right reasons, because she believes in them. One of the things that everybody enjoys about Sarah is what a great, well-rounded person she is.”
Vu said she is grateful to her family and the Department of Sport Management for their support. She feels that winning the Tsu Award is also their achievement, and not just hers.
“Their mentorship is what transformed the process of earning my degree into a continual process of academic and professional growth,” Vu said. “I find that receiving this award is an incredible honor, but more than anything, it is a reflection of the people who have made my growth possible.”
Andersen Pickard, an incoming senior from New Hampshire, is studying Statistics and Sport Analytics while serving as the Student Assistant Director of Analytics for Rice Baseball.