MSJ alumna Alice Wang dominates MVAL and international stage through journey to UCLA

By Staff Writers Kelly Shi & Andy Zhang

Sitting on the cold iron sideline benches, five-year-old Alice Wang shifted her head left and right as her unwavering gaze traced the lightweight birdie that ricocheted from her older brother’s racket. Years later, she would find herself competing in international badminton tournaments, such as the Uber Cup and the World Junior Championships. 

At the age of seven, inspired by her older brother, Wang, a 2025 MSJ Alum, decided to pick up the racket as well. She immediately fell in love with the thrill of the sport –- the snap of her wrist during a smash, the rush of wind as she lunged forward, and the rapid thud of her heart as she dove for shots.  As she grew older, she naturally gravitated towards the competitive side of the sport more, and decided to train for tournaments, playing her first national in 2017. With a passion for the sport, Wang would dedicate more than 20 hours every week to training, allowing her to go on to win the 2019 Yonex US Junior National Championships for U13 Girls Singles, as well as qualify to represent the US at the 2019 Yonex Pan Am Junior Championships – solidifying herself at the top of US badminton players.

As she entered high school, Wang continued to dominate national competitions, winning two more US Junior National Championship titles in consecutive years as a freshman and sophomore. In addition, she also decided to join MSJ’s Varsity Badminton team in her freshman year, immediately making an impact and helping them win the NCS Championships. However, with the increased workload of high school curricula, Wang faced the challenge of balancing badminton with academics. At first, she avoided training in order to study for exams, but further up in high school, she began to use training as a break from studying. “When I got a little bit older, I started feeling that every time I went to training, it just felt like a brain break from studying and everything. I also got a lot better at utilizing my time at school, so I was able to go to training with a very focused mindset, rather than thinking of all the work I might have to do,” Wang said. 

As a result of her dedication, Wang was eventually appointed as a captain in her junior and senior years, leading the team to three consecutive NCS championships titles. However, helping manage the team as a captain wasn’t always an easy task. “Leading a team is very difficult. There’s stuff you do while seeing your team, like in training, but also behind the scenes work, like managing new team shirts and making the lineups for meets and stuff, but I think it’s pretty fulfilling,” Wang said.

But competing at an international level proved to be a new set of challenges. “These bigger tournaments are very different from the junior tournaments that we play in the US,” Wang said, “I think there’s actually a lot less pressure on playing on the international level. Because honestly, I’m not expecting much. It’s more of a challenge for myself.” These tournaments taught her to step outside of her comfort zone and learn from the world’s top players, paving the way for Wang to become a better and more confident player. 

Wang’s academic and athletic career continued at UCLA where she is studying computer science and has joined the collegiate badminton team. At college, Wang observes how badminton bridges people across different demographics and identities by connecting them through a mutual interest. “I think since coming to college, I’ve realized that there are people from all different places [and] backgrounds, and we’re all kind of brought together and united [by] badminton, and it really broadens your horizons,” Wang said. Although she doesn’t plan to pursue a professional career, as her journey dominating on the court continues, Wang still feels a trace of the five-year-old girl inside her –- eyes wide, heart racing, captivated by the flight of the shuttlecock.