For Caitlin Wong it was a singular focus. After discovering ping-pong while on vacation, there was no turning back.

“I decided from then on I really wanted to commit to the sport, so my parents signed me up for lessons and it turns out I really like the sport and I decided to join the table tennis team in high school,” Wong said.

Wong was an instant asset to the Queens High School for Language Studies squad. With her captaining the team, they took second place at the PSAL championships her final season.

“So that’s really the highlight of my senior year, which is really a great end to it,” Wong said.

But on her list of achievements, that’s not where Wong stops. After some convincing from her table tennis coach, the star picked up a different racquet.

“I couldn’t hit the birdie at first. It was extremely difficult, but as time passed on and as my coach and my teammates encouraged me, I got better,” Wong said.

“Everyone looks at her now and is like, ‘Wow, what a good player,’ and they think that she started off that way,” explained Jeffrey Ku, Wong’s table tennis and badminton coach. “In the beginning, we said she was a table tennis player playing a badminton game and now she does look like a badminton player, and she uses that experience to help.”

Though Wong describes the learning curve as incredibly frustrating, she uses that experience to help teammates who might be feeling discouraged. noting that without others' support she would never have made it this far.

“I understand their frustration because I was once like them,” Wong said. “I really want to step in and help them like my previous captains did and my previous teammates did because I want to see them succeed and if I could do it they could do it.”

In all she does, Wong leans into challenging situations, knowing change can happen. She joined Asian Americans for Equality and participates in climate change marches.

“We always want the places we live in to be a safe place, be a happier place, be a healthier place,” Wong said. “So I think it’s very important to stand up for these causes, so we can make an impact.”

Caitlin Wong will continue to strengthen her community at SUNY Stony Brook next fall, fighting through any frustration to feel the sweet smash of success.