written by Augusta University student Jaylan Hayes 

When it came to choosing where to go to school, sophomore and cheerleader Anailah Chang thought she would be going somewhere on the west coast in California where she used to live. Chang has always assumed she'd be happier over there, that is until she watched a video on student debt.

"I saw myself fitting in better at a bigger school, but I ended up deciding on Augusta because when I started looking into class sizes it just seemed like the best option for me. Once I toured the school I fell in love with it," said Chang.

She didn't know anyone when she finally made the decision to attend AU but after a bit of social media stalking to see who else would be attending, she found another student athlete, Rebekah Klossner, and they quickly became best friends.

Being a full-time student-athlete, and having a job, Chang struggled with finding the balance for all three. She came into school with a declared major of nursing, but like many college students, that has changed and she's now working for a degree in business administration with a concentration in health management.

"I had to adjust to everything and learn discipline. I was honestly considering dropping cheer or work. It ended up being my major. But I'm much happier now," said Chang.

Her faith has been the forefront of her decision.

"I'm religious and I just really believe in not only forging the path that you want for yourself, but following God's plan," said Chang.

She grew up in a big family with eight siblings. She's the middle child with four older and four younger siblings. She blames them for her competitive nature.

"I'm so competitive. My parents were like. Oh, we don't have any athletes in college. Immediately I was like I'll be the one to do it," Chang said.

She and her older sisters looked so much alike growing up they used to be called Big Chang, Little Chang and Chang. She might not have loved it back then but since being out on her own she prefers to go by her last name.

While everyone else was playing basketball, she was quick to find out she didn't enjoy playing at all. Instead, she loved cheering and her family was nothing but supportive.

"My parents became the biggest cheer dad and mom. All my siblings were constantly doing the cheers in between everyone's own practices or games."

One of her favorite things is cheering at basketball games. It's one of the main reasons she stuck to sideline cheer when she was younger over Allstar cheer after tearing her meniscus.

When she's not busy you'll probably find her cooking or baking. It's one of her favorite things to do. She enjoys sharing her passion with others and it's how she made a lot of friends in the dorms.

Chang also loves to be with her two pets, a cat, Ryu, and a lizard, Linguini. While she couldn't imagine herself being an owner to either of these pets in the past she loves them so much now.

"I was actually scared of both of those animals until I brought them home," said Chang.

While she might have deleted all her own personal social media, except TikTok where she's basically famous @anailahc, she helps run both the Augustajags and Augustus' Instagram. It's something she asked to be a part of and loves doing it.

Chang wants people to know that she loves meeting new people and it's totally okay to go up to her and start a conversation. But fair warning she's a hugger and she loves to talk.

"I like to take my identity as a cheerleader and carry that with me everywhere I go," said Chang. "I have a daily goal of talking to at least one person I don't know and making them smile," said Chang,