From Carnegie Mellon University Athletics

Abhishek Alla made a splash in 2012 during his freshman year at Carnegie Mellon when he began studying civil and environmental engineering and was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Atlantic South Rookie of the Year. Since then, Abhishek has lived up to all of the hype and he's had fun doing it. Always on the move from Civ-E projects to tennis practices, Abhishek can usually be spotted running across campus wearing his favorite shirts from "Serengetee" with a smile on his face.

Those who are superstitious and enjoy sports know that the "Sophomore Slump" is real. Abhishek, however, took his sophomore year in a different direction, winning the ITA Small College National Singles Championship, being named an All-American, and earning a spot on the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-America Second Team. In his junior year, Abhishek was named both an All-American and a CoSIDA Academic All-American once again. Abhishek's ability, leading to an overall 66-26 singles record, speaks loudly, but he's truly a humble leader. Of the Tartans' upcoming spring season, he says, "I am so pumped to start our spring play! Our goal is to win the UAA and to go deep into the NCAA Tournament which is definitely possible because of the talented group of freshmen we brought in. Everyone on the team is ready to work hard and ready to make some history!"

Off the court, Abhishek wants to work in construction and project management after graduation so this past summer he worked for L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad in his hometown of Hyderabad, India. With a love of international travel, he supplemented his internship with travel to Prague, Budapest, Amsterdam and Barcelona over the course of twenty days where he took note of the various types of architecture and methods of construction in the various cities. Abhishek also travelled throughout India with his family and hopes he has the opportunity to continue traveling as he starts his career in construction and project management in 2016. "I love getting to know a foreign city and seeing the way that buildings, new and old, give it character and life," Abhishek says.

Abhishek has also spent the last few months getting involved with "Serengetee" which is an apparel brand that makes shirts with fabrics from communities around the world and then gives a percentage of every purchase back to causes dear to those regions. As CMU's campus rep, Abhishek has helped Serengetee give hundreds of dollars back to communities all around the world. Among all campus reps, Abhishek is currently ranked number one in his region but that isn't surprising, is it? Abhishek's love for the global community and his competitive spirit makes him the perfect man for Serengetee's mission.

When asked "Why CMU?" Abhishek Alla has a lot with which he could answer. He could talk about his experience winning a national championship or maybe about his studies at the 6th best engineering college in the country. He could also talk about his experience getting involved with a brand that supports a cause that's close to his heart as well. Instead, in classic Abhishek fashion, he says, "At CMU, I've made lifelong friendships with my teammates and fellow student-athletes. I don't know how I would've gotten through the past three years without the support of CMU athletics and our tennis program."