John Chamberlin was quoted in an Associated Press article about how Olympians Meryl Davis and Charlie White balance their academic pursuits with their figure skating careers.
Davis and White, both students at the University of Michigan, were approached last year by Chamberlin to participate in LSA's theme semester: "What makes life worth living?" "I thought it was actually very impressive that they answered our emails," Chamberlin told the Associated Press. "It had to have been one of thousands of emails asking them if they wanted to be involved in something."
Chamberlin thought they would be a good fit with the theme semester because of their dedication to the sport of ice dancing. "Single-minded pursuit of something that gives your life meaning was just one of the many ways that students could answer that question [What makes life worth living?]," Chamberlin told the Associated Press. "That idea of, 'I want to be the best at something, focus my energy and really go after a goal,' is something we hoped students would internalize in their own ways—most having nothing to do with ice skating, athletics or world championships."