On the soccer pitch and off, NYU sophomore forward Isabelle ‘Izze’ Ching, is a hard worker, quick learner, and a leader. Those qualities and more led EcoAthletes CEO and founder Lew Blaustein to enthusiastically invite her to become an EcoAthletes Champion.

“Izze is that powerful combination of team player and team leader,” marveled Blaustein. “EcoAthletes is excited that she is bringing that valuable skill set to the Champions roster.”

Ching developed her team player/leader qualities while growing up in the soccer hotbed of McLean, Virginia, not far from Washington, DC.

“I played sports as far back as I can remember, but soccer was number one,” Ching recalled. “I found out I was good at it when I was about seven. My dad, who played basketball, taught me two important skills from that sport: How to ‘post up’ or play with my back to the opposing goal in the attacking area and then to be good with both feet, the soccer equivalent of being able to play with both hands. From that early age, I became a ‘#9”, a forward who always looked to attack! I loved it.”

Ching made the Oakton high school varsity team as a freshman and did what it took to develop leadership qualities in that first year.

“I soaked up whatever knowledge I could from the older players from Day 1,” she related. “My junior year was when COVID broke out. The season was canceled, which was devastating for the seniors. Senior Night was and is a big deal at our school and they missed it. So, I organized a surprise Senior Night in April 2020. We snuck to their houses, gave them videos, t-shirts, and posters. They loved it!”

Not surprisingly, Ching was named captain for her senior season, and she delivered.

“We had a new coach, which was a challenge because some of the girls had difficulties with his style, which was very demanding,” noted Ching. I became the conduit between the team and the coaches, and it worked out very well. It was a phenomenal learning experience to help lead 30 girls. We eventually became a cohesive unit and had a tremendous season. I scored the game winning goal that sent us to the regionals!”

By that time, Ching had already answered the questions around her college choice; namely, would she go ‘big time’ Division I or down the smaller college, Division III road? And where would she end up?

“When I was a freshman in high school, I thought I wanted to go Division I, as that was the top level of college soccer,” said Ching. “I talked to some D-I schools that year and took some visits. But as a sophomore, I started thinking more about Division III, where I’d be able to have more of an athletic-academic life balance. So, I visited NYU that year and saw what life was like for athletes — there was so much to do in New York City, and I could play soccer at a high level, get a great education, prepare for my career, and live in an amazing city. Funny thing was, I had hated the city when I had visited when I was younger — I thought it was congested and dirty. But I saw it through a much different lens when I went on my official visit. I was hooked on NYU!”

While adjusting to life in the Big Apple and NYU soccer were “considerable challenges, Ching embraced both.

“I was able to find my footing on the pitch and off as a freshman,” she asserted. “Quickly, I learned how to study and manage my time well. As for soccer, the team was very close-knit and welcoming, so I was able to bond easily with the girls.

Despite suffering an injury in September at the beginning of her sophomore season and a disappointing end for the team earlier this month, Ching remains upbeat.

“Adding ten new players was challenging but if anything, we had a more cohesive unit than last season,” she observed. “We set our goals high: Reach the NCAA tournament. I was very disappointed that I wasn’t able to recover quickly enough to get back on the pitch this season, but I supported the team from the sidelines. We had the talent and athleticism to make it, but the ties ultimately hurt us. Overall, we finished out strong with 3 UAA wins and had a great season with only 3 losses- I couldn’t be more proud of the team! Of course, it’s a disappointment not making the NCAA tournament, especially when we thought we had a good chance of earning a bid, but we’ll only use this as fuel to succeed next season!

Ching also can’t wait to make a difference on climate. That desire started while she was in high school.

“I was introduced to sustainability when I took AP Environmental Science my junior year,” offered Ching. “I learned a lot and became a vegan because of it as well as an avid consumer of any climate news I could find. From that point on, it was natural for me to envision pursuing a sustainable business concentration at NYU, which is what I’m doing.”

Becoming an EcoAthletes Champion was also a natural step for Ching, once she heard about it from NYU teammate, EcoAthletes Champion and EcoAtheltes social media manager Catie Collins.

“I saw what Catie was doing with EcoAthletes on social media and loved it right away,” enthused Ching. “I had never heard about anything like EcoAthletes that brought together athletes from all over the world, across many sports, to use our collective power to make a difference on climate. I wanted to be a Champion right away.”

Not only is she joining the Champions network, Ching also stepped in this summer to seamlessly manage EcoAthletes social media efforts while Collins pursued two internships.

“I look forward to working with my fellow EcoAthletes Champions, especially our growing group of NCAA student-athletes, to turn climate talk into climate action,” Ching shared. “Athletes have the power to lead the #ClimateComeback; now it’s time for us to use that power. Let’s go!”

You can follow Izze on Instagram and Twitter