The UAA “Conversations About Race and Racism” series seeks to lift the voices of people of color and recognize the challenges faced in both athletics and academics at the collegiate level. By sharing personal stories, we hope to elevate the conversation about race to raise awareness and bring about change.

Differing Levels of Diversity Throughout Academic Career

“Until high school, I was used to being the only person of color in a class. Including me, there were six Black girls in my grade in middle school. The way I carried myself was shaped by my peers. I wasn’t used to being myself,” Owodunni described. “Then I went to one of the most diverse high schools in the Philadelphia public school system (Central High School), which prides itself on that diversity.”

While she didn’t have racial issues in high school, the effects of her earlier schooling stayed with her. “The real toll it took on me was in my personality. Who was I?” she wondered. “It wasn’t until I got to college that I was able to identify and search out the problem. My issue was with who I surrounded myself with and the feeling that I didn’t belong because I was one of few who looked like me.”

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