Who is Kierra King?
Updated: Mar 13, 2021
Kierra King is a junior economics major, working on a minor in finance, from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. She is an adaptable, encouraging and laid back athlete that plays basketball and runs track for CAU.
“I always had a love for basketball.” Her dad coached her sister’s second grade team in elementary school, and the team needed extra players for practice. King started playing the game of basketball while she was in kindergarten. After that, it “took off from there.”
King had a bright future in playing basketball collegiately. Unfortunately, in her senior year of high school, she tore her ACL that put her basketball career on hold. The devastating injury ruined her recruitment from an assortment of schools.
She said the injury caused scholarships and recruitment to “fall off the face of the earth” due to the gruesome injury. As a result, she fell into a minor depression and thought she would never play basketball again. Fortunately, this minor setback caused a greater comeback for King as she received a full academic scholarship to attend CAU.
Surprisingly, after overcoming her ACL injury, King began running track at CAU in her freshman year. She has been successful in her collegiate track career as she placed fourth in the heptathlon at the SIAC Conference Championship. Further, she has returned to basketball this season. She walked on to the CAU women’s basketball team and earned a spot on the roster. She said, “I hope to make a contribution to the team… and win the SIAC championship.” Her duality at both sports makes her a one-of-a-kind student athlete at CAU.
Off the track and court, King’s relationship with CAU has been mutually beneficial. CAU has shaped her by forcing her out of her comfort zone. She appreciates the “opportunities to grow as a person” that CAU offers such as conducting mock interviews and participating in leadership seminars. In addition, she appreciates the business school at CAU because it has helped her grow and mature as a person. “The business school sets [students] up to grow as young entrepreneurs and young CEOs,” she said.
Similarly, King has impacted CAU by setting an example for others at CAU. She is the president of Pretty Girls Sweat CAU, a health and fitness organization that promotes healthy living on campus. Also, she strives to lead by example for her peers. She said, “I practice what I preach.” By practicing healthy habits, she feels that it will help influence young women at CAU to live a healthy lifestyle.
King wants everyone to remember that anyone can do anything if they set their mind to it. She believes “persevering through adversity” has helped her in her life through her injury and feels that it can aid people in theirs. “If you put forth the effort into something, you can get something out of it.”
This story has been originally published in Clark Atlanta University's student newspaper - the Panther. For inquiries, email James McJunkins: jamesolaf@comcast.net