By Pennie Lu | Posted June 27, 2024
Balancing academics and athletics hasn’t always been a straight shot for Adanna Obuba, but the experiences and friends she’s made along the way have been crucial for her growth. One lesson that left the biggest impact, and one that everyone should hear, is pulled directly from one of her coaches: “Don’t be upset with the results you didn’t get from the work you didn’t do.”
Scholar Athlete Adanna Obuba will attend Brown University.
For Obuba, this hit hard during freshman year track when she did not take the sport seriously and was seemingly just going through the motions. One of her biggest regrets now is “not taking this sport seriously from the beginning” and not taking advantage of the potential she had at the time.
By sophomore year, Obuba began turning things around and committing herself to her events at track meets. When she discovered her potential in high jump, she decided to reinvigorate herself and take time over the summer to train and hone her techniques in order to prepare herself for the next season.
The result of this hard work came to fruition in her junior year, when she was invited to the New Balance Nationals, a huge event dedicated to the cream-ofthe- crop athletes. The high jump alone continued for at least seven hours because of the multitude of girls competing, but Obuba’s energy remained high at the prospect of being invited to nationals. It was here that Obuba jumped an amazing 5’6.5” in the rising stars section to secure her first place victory, and the memory of her parents’ cheers still echoes in her ears.
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As a D1 Brown University commit, Obuba has had her fair share of wins. Looking back on the people who helped make it happen, she said, “It’s an understatement to say that I wouldn’t be where I am today without my coaches’ or family’s help.” From staying late to make sure she was feeling well after a particularly difficult event to always driving her to practice, the team behind Obuba’s success truly embodied cheerleaders.
In her junior year, Obuba sustained a knee injury that stifled her growth. As she continues to train, Obuba has set her college goal to fully recover and compete in as many meets as possible. She’s excited to connect with her teammates and fully realize her potential in high jump, leading the Brown team to new heights and adventures, all while maintaining her studies, of course.
For any aspiring athletes, take mind of Obuba’s words: “Life is too short for us to spend our precious time on something just to not give it our full attention.”
