48 | APRIL 4 • 2024
J
N
E
lla Blank doesn’t sit on the sidelines.
A three-sport athlete who played golf, basketball and softball at
Birmingham Groves High School and the recipient of a Michigan
High School Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete Award, she was named a
2023 Jewish News High School Athlete of the Year.
An accomplished musician who played in the Groves marching band
for four years, the 18-year-old University of Michigan freshman plays
mellophone in the U-M marching band.
Thanks to her frequent success in the band’s weekly auditions, Blank
performed at a majority of the U-M football team’s
home games last fall and all three post-season
games — the Big Ten championship game in
Indianapolis, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.,
and the national championship game in Houston
— in December and January as the Wolverines
won Big Ten and national titles.
“I dreamed for a long time about being in the
U-M marching band. Playing at the Rose Bowl
with the band was so cool,” she said.
More on the Rose Bowl later.
Blank, a caring person who by nature looked
out for the welfare of her teammates, became
a campus captain for The Hidden Opponent
organization in her senior year at Groves.
The not-for-profit international advocacy
group provides resources and offers a safe space
for high school and college student-athletes who
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OUR COMMUNITY
COVER STORY
University of Michigan
freshman Ella Blank’s
passions include sports,
music and helping
others — and her
parents have a great
story to tell.
A
Happy
Note
FAMILY PHOTO
Ella Blank
pauses during
a University
of Michigan
marching band
performance at
a U-M football
game last fall.
HOWARD BLANK
A Hidden Opponent
logo is on Ella Blank’s
arm as she plays in a
2023 softball game for
Birmingham Groves
High School.
Ella Blank graduated from
Birmingham Groves High School in
2023. Here she is in her graduation
attire on the Detroit International
RiverWalk.
HOWARD BLANK