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A number of students who attend Cal State Fullerton do so after taking a few years off after high school to work or travel. In Janet Lee’s case, it was both as she spent 11 years on the professional women’s tennis tour, which took her to countless tournaments in more than 30 countries.

Lee started playing tennis when she was 5 years old and turned pro in 1995, six months after high school. Although she was being recruited by a number of colleges, she felt that with the time and effort she – and her family – had put into her tennis career, she should give it her full attention. “You can be an athlete and a student at the same time, but it’s difficult,” says Lee.

Highlights of her career include a quarterfinalist appearance in doubles at the US Open, wins over some of the top players in the world, gold medals at the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games – and playing in the Sydney Olympics. “The environment there was really humbling,” she says. “While tennis players have tournaments every week, most of the athletes train for four years for the Olympics and it’s the event. We were around so many athletes who had achieved so much. It was a great experience.”

Once Lee decided to retire from professional tennis, Cal State Fullerton offered the ideal environment for her. “I’m very happy with my decision because even though Cal State Fullerton is one of the largest Cal State schools, I’ve never once felt lost in the system,” says Lee, who has been involved with a number of clubs and helped out as a volunteer assistant tennis coach. “Being able to speak with professors and have them help and mentor me has been really great.”

Lee is studying business administration with an emphasis in accounting and finance and this year will serve as the president of Beta Alpha Psi. As for her future plans, Lee’s taking it day by day. “I have always wanted to meld tennis and business together in some way,” says Lee, who just finished a summer internship with Deloitte. “It hasn’t hit me how I want to do that, so in the meantime I’d like to get my CPA and start my career off in public accounting.”