BSU Tennis Player Balances Court and Classes

By Malissa Close            

Samantha Williams enters the library lobby at a fast pace with her lunch in hand. She says, “Hope you don’t mind I didn’t have a chance to eat lunch.” As she gets comfortable in a chair by the window which looks out onto campus she opens her container, and takes a bite of her chicken Alfredo from the café with a contented smile on her face. Williams then sits back nervously as she prepares to share some of her story.           

Williams was born on December 7, 1992 in the United States, but she grew up in Jamaica. Her mom brought her to the United States where she completed her high school career at Bowie High School. Her family decided to go back to Jamaica, so Samantha is here on her own and continuing her education. She decided to enroll at Bowie State University where she studies psychology and is a player on the BSU Tennis team.            

Williams really wanted her college experience to include playing on a college team. She had played tennis for two years in Jamaica while she was in high school, so she decided to try out for BSU’s team, and she made it. This is her first semester on the team.            

Tennis has literally become the center of her life, Williams said. Her practice schedule consists of six hours a week with the team, but Williams has added more personal practice time to become better. Williams plays both singles and doubles on the team, but she enjoys singles better.             

When asked about her school work she stated, “School has never been too difficult, so she has found it surprisingly easy to balance the team and her studies.”           

Williams is a young woman deeply rooted in her faith as a Christian. When asked what some of her other hobbies were she smiled and said, “I love the Japanese culture their movies and cartoons, and I love dancing and doing dance offs.”            

The rising tennis star said she plans to continue to juggle her studies, team, and hobbies with much success.