Scholar Stories: Ruder-Hook Pursuing Wide Range of Interests
3/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Every Wednesday during the 2016-17 academic year, MGoBlue.com will highlight a different student-athlete and their academic path. These are our Scholar Stories.
By Andrew Krowitz
Mira Ruder-Hook spends all day trying to ace her competition, both on and off the tennis court.
She is double-majoring in international studies, with a concentration in political economy and development, and French while minoring in creative writing. And she just happens to be an ITA All-American for the University of Michigan women's tennis team.
Ruder-Hook, a junior, finished last season as part of the seventh-ranked doubles team in the country (with sophomore Brienne Minor) and has helped lead the Wolverines to a 7-2 record this season, good for No. 4 in the nation according to the latest ITA rankings.
On the tennis court, confidence and communication are the most important factors between teammates, and Ruder-Hook applies the same skill set in the classroom.
"I would definitely say that there are huge benefits to being a student-athlete that you can use to translate into your academics, but you have to feel confident in that belief," said Ruder-Hook. "The fact that I am taking a class where I improve my presentation skills has helped my tennis. Now that I feel confident giving a presentation in front of a room of people, I additionally feel more confident when its three-all and I'm the deciding match, and vice versa."
As a high school student, Ruder-Hook jumped at the opportunity to attend such a prestigious university with so many resources and to have the ability to play for the Michigan coaching staff. Initially considering a PPE (philosophy, politics and economics) major, she instead opted for a dual major so that she could continue studying French, an area she had focused on since attending a bilingual school when she was younger.
Ruder-Hook has seen recognition for her hard work as she was named Academic All-Big Ten as a sophomore. But her aspirations reach far greater than that.
"I was really happy to see that my hard work was able to translate into that achievement, but I'm striving for even more things now and trying to do even better."
She views her degree as broad and all-encompassing. One of her career ambitions is to work at an economic think tank or for an economic advisor in Washington.
One advantage of Ruder-Hook's academic pursuits involves her interest in European economics. Both of her majors are applicable to Europe, where she eventually hopes to work, focusing on world trade.
"Doing international studies was the perfect way to do that because I can concentrate on European international affairs as well as political economy and development so it's literally combining political science, economics and French."
Ruder-Hook has seen herself develop as a scholar-athlete during her time in Ann Arbor. She recognizes a learning curve for student-athletes, who have to understand the balance of sport and academics while using their time wisely to take advantage of the many valuable programs at Michigan, such as the M-PACT program.
"Often times it is on the athlete to go put him or herself out there and make the most of his or her opportunities," Ruder-Hook stated. "Time management and problem solving are the two biggest things that I have solidified as a student-athlete. I've realized what I am capable of, what I need to do, how to manage those things, and then how to be proactive to try and achieve my goals."
Ruder-Hook has even found time to participate as a member of Lean In, an empowerment club that brings people together to talk about sensitive issues going on in the world and focus on facilitating a constructive way of discussing these topics. She also employs her creative writing minor by working with the Michigan Daily, where she hopes to take on a greater role during the rest of her time in Ann Arbor.
With all of these pursuits and interests, tennis still remains a priority for Mira.
"It's a huge goal of mine to go pro. I'm pursuing all of these other things, but tennis is still at the forefront. Your life span in tennis is limited, so that's what's on my mind right now, and I am trying to find a cool avenue to play tennis and be involved in the academic fields that interest me."
Players Mentioned
