Scholar Stories: Bourdeau Following Medical Dream, Inspiration to Cheer at U-M
4/8/2020 10:00:00 AM | Features, Spirit Department
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Prairie Farms.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Despite the cancellations of winter and spring sports due to COVID-19, MGoBlue.com will continue to highlight our student-athletes' stories through May 6.
By Annie Schnoll
In a normal April, cheerleading teams from across the country would convene for the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) College Nationals. But this is not a normal April, not after the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the rest of the NCAA calendar. Every sport was harmed, including cheerleading.
The routines that took nine months or more to perfect would not be performed. For University of Michigan cheerleading senior Nina Bourdeau, she found comfort among her teammates and coaches, and looked ahead to her bright future.
Bourdeau always knew that she wanted to pursue a career in medicine. When she had the opportunity to shadow a local pediatrician when she was in high school, she could start to see that dream take shape.
"I saw something new every day, whether it be a broken arm or the flu," she said. "Just the way that they would interact with children they saw, they were so down to earth and compassionate. In that moment, I knew that I wanted to be like them. That really solidified it for me."
Ever since, she has been dedicated to staying on her pre-med track at the University of Michigan. Bourdeau came into her freshman year with a four-year plan and was able to stick to that and graduate with multiple offers to competitive medical school programs.
While she still has that original excitement and curiosity, her interest in medicine grew. The many avenues and opportunities that Michigan provides allowed her to, over time, narrow down her interests.
An influential program during that process was a student organization started during her freshman year: the Kidney Disease Screening Awareness Program (KDSAP). This group of students works to run free health screenings throughout metro Detroit for people who would not otherwise have access.
Being a part of this organization helped Bourdeau ultimately decide on attending medical school at Wayne State University. The focus of their program aligns with the goals of KDSAP.
"We get to do stuff like blood-pressure screening, tests for diabetes and things that people don't have access to," she said. "Being a member of that all four years really grew my interest in helping those that don't have access to care, and also helped me pick Wayne State as my school. Being in metro Detroit, they have a huge focus in helping people who don't have access to medicine."
Through KDSAP and her selection of Wayne State, Bourdeau is focusing her medical interests on pediatrics and urban medicine, and cannot wait to "jump right in to their three health clinics and medical programs."
Alex (left) and Nina Bourdeau
While classes and KDSAP were special college experiences for Bourdeau and influential in jump-starting her career in medicine, her favorite part of being at Michigan was getting the opportunity to be a student-athlete on the cheerleading team.
Bourdeau rotated between competitive gymnastics and cheerleading all of her life, though gymnastics was her primary sport in high school. Her biggest inspiration for joining the team her sophomore year was her older brother Alex, a 2019 Michigan graduate and former cheerleader.
During Bourdeau's freshman year, she got to hear about all the fun travels and exciting experiences that cheer gave her brother. Bourdeau participated in the fall tryouts, a less formal process than the spring tryouts, where she joined in on the team practice and was assessed as to how she fit into the exercises and routines.
She got to cheer with Alex for two years, and they got to experience winning a national championship together in the coed portion of the competition last year.
"He was a captain last year, and was such a good leader for the team," she said. "It made me proud to be able to cheer with him. I loved having him on the team for sure."
While competing and practicing are essential parts to being on this team, Bourdeau most values her teammates and coaches that she will always have a close bond with. In light of recent events surrounding the cancellation of their cheer competition, she chooses to focus on the journey and the essence of what it means to be a part of the team.
"You go through it together," she said. "Just being able to lean on your teammates ... to talk it out together and just understand that it was something that had to happen. It's for the health of everyone around us. It is sad, but we will always have these memories from the team, so we do what we can."
Bordeau has a bright future ahead of her, and it would not have been possible without the last four years in Ann Arbor.
"You tell U-M your dreams and they have a thousand resources to get you there," she said. "Michigan really brings together the most talented people out there and I couldn't have imagined a better college experience than the one I had. I've had the best coaches, professors, teammates and friends. It really has been the opportunity of a lifetime."
