A United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association (USIBA) National Champion, Audrey Cheng won the 2026 tournament with a 3-1 record. (Photo: Courtesy of Audrey Cheng)
USC Dornsife Student Finds Community and a National Championship at Trojan Boxing Club
From Hong Kong to the boxing ring, undergraduate student Audrey Cheng has experienced new connections and perspectives at USC.
When sophomore Audrey Cheng started her journey at USC, she knew it would shape her life academically. What she didn’t predict, however, was that she would find a tight-knit community and go on to become a collegiate boxing champion.
Born in Taiwan, Cheng lived in countries including Japan and Australia before settling in Hong Kong, where she attended middle and high school. While she was no stranger to international living, the idea of traveling across the globe to earn her undergraduate degree came from a USC alumnus she met during her years in Hong Kong.
“He told me all about the Trojan Family, the networks, the community. I was so intrigued and lucky to be admitted,” she told the USC Office of International Services (OIS).
Originally interested in pursuing a theater or literature program, Cheng ultimately went down a different path after taking an International Baccalaureate anthropology class in high school.
“I became more interested in how theater can be performed using an anthropological lens, like using storytelling to discuss indigenous cultures or underlying societal issues,” she explained. “The more I studied anthropology, the more I started to fall in love with the subject.”
At USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Cheng has continued to explore the relationship between narrative works and anthropology — as well as her passion for boxing.
Cheng never expected to compete at the collegiate level, but her high school coach encouraged her to try out for the Trojan Boxing Club. She earned a spot on the club’s competitive team — becoming the first woman in her weight class — alongside students from a variety of backgrounds and academic disciplines.
“It changed my experience here completely, doing boxing at USC. It changed my life actually,” she said. “We go through such grueling training together. We’ve formed this bond, and everyone is so supportive.”
During her freshman year, Cheng even competed in the United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association (USIBA) National Championships, winning the tournament with a 3-1 record. Although rewarding, the experience was physically and mentally demanding — Cheng competed four times in just a five-week span, and she considered taking a step back from the sport.
But when Scholar Boxer, a documentary covering collegiate boxing, was released profiling Cheng and her journey, she found renewed motivation.
“The audience’s response really inspired me to keep going,” she recalled.
Boxing has also found its way into Cheng’s academic work. For one of her courses, she is considering writing a thesis about how boxing can shift perspectives on violence.
“Boxing is not aggression that’s uncontrolled. Boxing redefines aggression to be very disciplined and deliberately directed,” she said.
Looking ahead, Cheng is interested in exploring career opportunities that blend anthropology, storytelling and management consulting, which she is minoring in. She also hopes to continue sharing her passion for boxing, potentially by teaching the sport to other young girls.
As for what lessons she would impart to fellow international students considering USC, Cheng was clear: Branch out and explore all your options.
“I’d really encourage them to meet people from different cultures. This is a really good time to broaden your horizons,” she said.
For Cheng, that openness has led to unexpected connections — between Hong Kong and Los Angeles, anthropology and boxing, and academics and community — that have shaped her USC experience in ways she never could have anticipated.
