George Washington University Athletics
GW Athletics Mourns Loss of Alumna Cissey Ye
3/11/2019 9:45:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Former Colonial swimmer passed away suddenly March 5
George Washington Athletics mourns the loss of 2010 graduate and women's swimming alumna Cissey Ye, who suddenly passed away on March 5th.
"Our deepest condolences go out to Cissey's family, friends and GW teammates and classmates who competed, lived and learned with her at GW," said Director of Athletics and Recreation Tanya Vogel. "On behalf of the entire GW Athletics community, we have heavy hearts while remembering Cissey's impact here."
Born March 10, 1988 in Chengdu, China, Cissey competed in the Atlantic 10 Championships all four years for the Buff and Blue. Mostly a distance swimmer in the pool, Ye also competed in the 100 butterfly, and her presence and charisma was felt as strongly in the campus community as it was in the water.
A Champion for LGBTQ rights, fierce competitor, friend to all, loving daughter, sister and wife, Cissey thrived in the world of medicine. After immigrating to the US at the age of four, Ye came to GW from Beaverton, Oregon where she was a state champion swimmer. In Foggy Bottom, she made her mark by starting a new chapter of the Chi Omega sorority, and was among the distinguished Colonial Cabinet in 2008, which features the university's most dynamic and spirited students.
While studying abroad in 2009 at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, Ye's horizons forever changed. During the summer experience she re-discovered her passion for traditional Chinese medicine, and after graduating from George Washington, she moved back to Oregon to continue her studies as a graduate student at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine.
With interests that also included lacrosse and running, her passions as a doctor were derived from her athletic experience, as she loved exploring pain-management techniques, sleep disorders, digestive issues, stress reduction, and women's health in her treatment of athletes. She was an acupuncturist who was published in the Meridians Journal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine for her work, "Swimmer's Shoulder: An Acupuncture Sports Medicine Approach."
Cissey was married to Marya Deda. She is survived by her parents Yi Luo and Xiaomu Ye, her brother, Robin Ye, her Uncle Kang Luo, Aunt Li Wu, cousin Emma, and many friends and extended family from GW, Oregon, China and the worldwide swimming community.
Ye was laid to rest on March 11, 2019.
"Our deepest condolences go out to Cissey's family, friends and GW teammates and classmates who competed, lived and learned with her at GW," said Director of Athletics and Recreation Tanya Vogel. "On behalf of the entire GW Athletics community, we have heavy hearts while remembering Cissey's impact here."
Born March 10, 1988 in Chengdu, China, Cissey competed in the Atlantic 10 Championships all four years for the Buff and Blue. Mostly a distance swimmer in the pool, Ye also competed in the 100 butterfly, and her presence and charisma was felt as strongly in the campus community as it was in the water.
A Champion for LGBTQ rights, fierce competitor, friend to all, loving daughter, sister and wife, Cissey thrived in the world of medicine. After immigrating to the US at the age of four, Ye came to GW from Beaverton, Oregon where she was a state champion swimmer. In Foggy Bottom, she made her mark by starting a new chapter of the Chi Omega sorority, and was among the distinguished Colonial Cabinet in 2008, which features the university's most dynamic and spirited students.
While studying abroad in 2009 at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, Ye's horizons forever changed. During the summer experience she re-discovered her passion for traditional Chinese medicine, and after graduating from George Washington, she moved back to Oregon to continue her studies as a graduate student at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine.
With interests that also included lacrosse and running, her passions as a doctor were derived from her athletic experience, as she loved exploring pain-management techniques, sleep disorders, digestive issues, stress reduction, and women's health in her treatment of athletes. She was an acupuncturist who was published in the Meridians Journal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine for her work, "Swimmer's Shoulder: An Acupuncture Sports Medicine Approach."
Cissey was married to Marya Deda. She is survived by her parents Yi Luo and Xiaomu Ye, her brother, Robin Ye, her Uncle Kang Luo, Aunt Li Wu, cousin Emma, and many friends and extended family from GW, Oregon, China and the worldwide swimming community.
Ye was laid to rest on March 11, 2019.
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