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Sports
The Clarion \ October 23, 2019
'This is who we are'
Basketball player Destiny Williams talks inclusion
By Joseph Marvin
Assistant Sports Information Director
Throughout the NCAA’s Annual Diversity & Inclusion Week, several
Brevard College student-athletes, coaches, and athletic staff will be
featured on bctomados.com.
The first day of the four-day week (Oct. 22-25) is titled “This Is Who We
Are”—a day that is focused on student-athletes’ core values and multiple
identities. The purpose of this day is to show who the student-athlete is
as a person.
#NCAAInclusion Week, sponsored by the NCAA’s Office of Inclusion,
helps bring awareness and spotlight to diversity and inclusion on college
campuses by giving student-athletes, coaches, faculty, and staff an outlet
to share their stories through social media.
Below are highlights of an interview with Destiny Williams, a junior
forward on BC’s women’s basketball team, who is our first feature of
#NCAAInclusion Week.
bctornados.com: What core values do you believe in?
Destiny Williams: Three core values that I believe in are honesty,
responsibility, and balance. Honesty is the best policy; you can’t build a
good business or personal relationship with someone if you can’t be honest
with them. Being responsible and holding yourself accountable for the
actions that you do is important for your personal growth in life. Lastly,
having a good balance in life, whether that being a wellness balance or
just work-life balance, is important to your overall health and that will
impact the way you live your life.
BC: How are these core values exemplified by yourself as a student-
athlete at Brevard College?
DW: As a student-athlete, my coach (Head Coach Donald Hudson)
really stresses honesty in our basketball program. He tells us that the
only way we could lose his tmst is if we lie or steal from him. Not only
on the court but also in the classroom is honesty important. Plagiarism is
highly frowned upon at Brevard College—being tmthful about what is
your own work and giving credit to others for their work. Responsibility
and balance go hand-in-hand with each other as a student-athlete. You
have to be responsible enough to not make excuses for yourself on and
off the field of play. You also have to be able to balance out your sport and
education life, managing your time enough to be able to excel in both areas.
BC: What values guide your life?
DW: The values that guide my life are some key values that my mom
instilled in me as a little girl: to be honest to everyone—even to people
who aren’t honest to you - to show respect (treat others the way you
want to be treated) and always be kind to others—you never know when
someone is having a bad day.
BC: What identities in addition to being an athlete do you hold (e.g., in
terms of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, world view, background,
etc.)?
DW: Along with being a student-athlete, I am also an African-American
female—one of the lowest minorities. However, being in this group of
minorities doesn’t define me—it actually empowers me to do more than
I am expected to do, to be an overachiever rather than settling, to beat the
odds, and fulfill my wildest dreams.
BC: In your own words, explain why diversity and inclusion are
important in college athletics, and at Brevard specifically.
DW: Having diversity and inclusion in college athletics is important
so everyone can feel as if they have a voice amongst their team and the
Athletic Department as a whole. Brevard College itself has some of
the most diverse teams in the conference. There probably isn’t a single
team that doesn’t have an international or diverse student. The students
themselves may not be from outside of the United States, but their
families are, which makes it a little harder for them to adjust to some
things. However, with the strong, loving community of our individual
teams, no one ever feels as if they don’t belong, but rather that they’re a
part of a new family.
To follow the NCAA s Diversity & Inclusion Week, follow the NCAA
and NCAA Dill on Twitter and Instagram, along with the hashtag
#NCAAInclusion.
To follow the latest news and updates surrounding Brevard College
Athletics, follow the Tornados on Twitter and Instagram @bctornados,
subscribe to 'Brevard College Tornados' on YouTube, follow 'Brevard
College Tornados' on SoundCloud, or like Brevard College Athletics on
Facebook. Be sure to follow "brevardcollege" on Flickr for the latest
Destiny Williams gives her teammates a high-five before the start of a Brevard women’s basketball game.