San Antonio - Trinity women's tennis player Elena Wilson has been selected as the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Character & Community Athlete of the Week.

The award was created by the conference in 2009 to honor the efforts of extraordinary student-athletes who excel in their sports and in the classroom, and serve their campus and community.

The sophomore from Iowa City, Iowa, is dedicated to community service and to her Tiger tennis team.

She is heavily involved in Alphi Phi Omega, Trinity's co-ed service fraternity. Wilson began her association with the group during her first semester on campus. As the new active service chair, Wilson organized a gift wrapping project at the San Antonio Children's Shelter during the holiday season. Last fall, Wilson became service chair and spearheaded several projects, including Letters to the Troops, and volunteering at San Antonio's Botanical Gardens. Wilson said it served as a great way to reach out to the San Antonio community, and meet new people.

Wilson also headed service projects for the Trinity University Voluntary Action Community, or TUVAC. Among the projects was a “build-a-bear drive” for San Antonio's Methodist Children's Hospital.

Academically, Wilson plans to major in international studies, with a concentration in East Asian Studies. She will minor in Chinese, and may double-major in international politics or business administration.

In 2014, Wilson participated in the Shanghai-San Antonio Summer Institute. Graduate students and professors from Jiao Tong University in Shanghai traveled to campus for the program. Debates, lectures, and discussions were held about China-U.S. relations dealing with economics, government, business, and environmental policy, to name a few.

Wilson later conducted independent research through Trinity's political science department, concerning local-level democracies in China. She was invited to share her research at Trinity's Spring Academic Showcase later this month.

Continuing her interest in China, Wilson will study in Shanghai in the summer. She will participate in courses in language, business, and political science. Wilson will also serve an internship, and hopes to be placed with a non-government organization (NGO)/non profit.

Wilson also qualified for Trinity's Dean's List for both semesters last year. Additionally, Wilson is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta, an academic honor society. Appropriately, Wilson serves as the co-service chair.

Back home in Iowa City, Wilson has worked as a tennis instructor at the University of Iowa Recreation Services, coaching children and adults on tennis and running. In high school, Wilson, started her service by organizing a dance marathon.

Last season, Wilson was a contributor to the Tiger women's tennis team which captured the SCAC Championship, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship. She also was a member of the SCAC Spring Academic Honor Roll. Wilson has played No. 3 doubles for the Tigers this season.