Scholar Stories: Istock Swings Into Accounting Through Passion for Sustainability
2/4/2026 3:51:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each week MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories.
By Anastasia Dubovoy
From an early age, University of Michigan men's gymnast Alex Istock has been open-minded about exploring everything and doing more of what he loves. At 5 years old, he took his first gymnastics class and has not looked back. His "go big or go home" mentality not only fueled his love of the risk of the high bar but also allowed him to advance further in his gymnastics career.
"It was nothing more than chance, in my opinion. It was kind of just something that was there," Istock said. "It was just close to home and something that piqued my interest early, just by chance, and then I fell more and more in love with it as time went on, and that's why I stuck with it. [High bar] became the one [event] where I was able to differentiate myself."
Another way he found to differentiate himself was by representing New Zealand in international competitions; he has dual citizenship, which he received through his mother. Istock has competed under its flag multiple times, including at the 2023 Junior World Artistic Gymnastics Championships held in Antalya, Turkey. This experience allowed him to compete in a different environment and connect with other athletes.
"The biggest part of this is getting to meet athletes from all across the world," Istock said. "I now have friendships with people in other countries that I never, ever would have met."
In addition to his international experience, Istock was also part of Michigan's 2025 NCAA national championship-winning team.
"To have it fall into place after dreaming and talking about it for so long was surreal," Istock said. "It truly took everyone. I've never given myself more to anything in my life than that championship."
Away from the gym, Istock is enrolled in the Ross School of Business to work toward his Bachelor of Business Administration, as well as minoring in computer science in the School of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Istock transferred to Ross after his freshman year, discounting accounting as a future career path from the start. However, as he learned more, that quickly changed.
"What I thought I knew was that I did not want to do accounting. I wanted to try my own thing," he said. "The one thing I ruled out, I actually ended up enjoying and doing."
Istock hopes to continue pursuing accounting alongside his core passions of sustainability and social impact. He has been involved in multiple clubs since starting at Michigan, such as Adaptive Gymnastics and Net Impact, a consulting group through Ross.
He explains his club involvement as "a lot of really fun experiences, a lot of learning," and a largely important part of his U-M career.
Another highlight of his academic career has been the chance to work on the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project, which offers long-term support to small businesses in Detroit. As an accounting consultant, it is a big step away from the case studies taught in classes and offers him real-world experience.
"I realized DNEP was gonna be one of the most challenging things for me, but also one of the most educational and really empowering [experiences] for my own professional development," Istock said. "It's been so special to go week to week and work with entrepreneurs. What they have is the passion; they're so excited about what they do, and it's their life."
As a busy student-athlete, Istock finds it best to commit his time to doing the things he loves.
"If you have so many things in your life that are blowing you in these directions and you love and appreciate all of them, you're gonna find time to make it work," he said. "It's not really about time management at all."
From an early age, his father said to him, "The strongest steel is a well-earned self-belief," and Istock continues to use that advice to move forward. He also believes that being open-minded is something that has gotten him to the point where he is now.
"There's no reason to cross anything off before you've given it a real effort," he said. "Why cut off giving yourself a chance before you've even tried?"
Istock plans to return to Antalya in March to again represent New Zealand and hopes to one day make it to the Commonwealth Games, an international event occurring every four years that brings athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations together to compete. He is also an incoming audit intern at EY, set to start in 2027, and will continue to pursue accounting.
Players Mentioned
