This past June, my guest Niah Woods was one of the recipients of the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership award at the ESPYS. She was nominated for her work with middle schoolers in the DMV through The Grassroots Project. During the year, I would often seen Woods on the go, moving between her service work, practice, and academics. When we first met during our Freshman year in study hall, I had no clue that I was in the midst of such a humanitarian. Born in Fairfield, Ohio (right outside of Cincinnati), Woods grew up one of many siblings. Each of them harbored shared passions for Sports, mainly basketball. While she noted that her brothers were motivated by outpacing their peers, Woods was motivated by being her best self. She prides herself as a hard working athlete, who wants to win and prioritizes sportsmanship. Translation: A coach’s dream. So, it only made sense that she had begun to catch the eye of collegiate programs. Both track and basketball were on the table, at all divisions. Schools including Tuskegee and her father’s alma mater even offered full ride scholarships. Woods describes herself as a naturally quiet and introverted person, which was often comprised when she was thrust into the spotlight. A polished athlete, especially for her area, Woods eventually found her voice outside of that realm. She took on the famed So Gone Challenge with the help of her brother, and found a permanent outlet in writing. During our conversation, she even recalled her friends rapping her lyrics back to her on the challenge the following day. When I posed the question, “Why Howard?”to Woods, she made it clear that she chose the school. Perhaps better known for being an athlete, especially a dual sport athlete at the Division 1 level for 2 years, she excels academically with the best of them. Down the line she intends to become a Psychiatrist, and Howard is helping her get one step further. It ultimately came down to Howard and her father’s alma mater, where she wouldn’t have had the same opportunities athletically. Not too many people actively decide to walk on to 2 teams at once, but not too many people are Niah Woods. She worked meticulously in preparation for Walk-on tryouts, and continued working hard on both teams and making impressions. Though no longer apart of the basketball team, she was the recipient of the team’s “Coach’s Award”, and had the opportunity to play in her hometown. On the track, Woods specializes in jumps and relays. Unfortunately due to Covid-19, the outdoor season was cancelled. Woods had finished competing in the MEAC basketball tournament just days prior, and was raring to go on the runway. In hindsight, Woods is grateful that she was able to go home and regroup for herself, but at the time she was heartbroken. After a month long dry spell, she was back at it and training for the next call. During a seemingly regular day, Woods received a text from the head of the Grassroots Project, who told her of “some humanitarian award” that she was nominated for. As she began to understand the gravity of the award, she was ecstatic. In just the second class of awardees ever, Woods meets with the other members including Billie Jean King herself and hopes to continue organizing for the future. Recorded 1. 19. 21
