Sooner Profile: Francie Ekwerekwu

NORMAN, Okla. -- Francie Ekwerekwu has faced adversity much of her life.

Raised in a single-parent home, she did not grow up under ideal circumstances and admits it was often a pretty tough life.

Never, however, has Ekwerekwu used her upbringing as an excuse to achieve anything less than the goals she has set for herself. She has taken advantage of every opportunity that has presented itself and worked tirelessly to get the most out of her talents.

Shortly after her arrival on campus last year, Ekwerekwu faced the disappointment of learning she would be redshirted. Instead of letting it get her down, however, she used it as motivation to get better and prepare for this season. Now a regular starter, she is making the most of her opportunities and has been one of the most productive players on the team in 2007.

A role model in every sense of the word, Ekwerekwu's success story translates off the court as well. She is actively involved in numerous community service activities including Bridge Builders, an association of African American student-athletes who reach out to underprivileged kids in the area. She uses her story to show kids from similar backgrounds that there is a chance to succeed despite the circumstances they face.

Ekwerekwu has already accomplished a lot in just a short time here, but after seeing how she carries herself and understanding her motivation, it is safe to expect a lot more over the next three years.

On what she learned from the redshirt experience last year:
"At first it was really disappointing. Everybody who plays a sport wants to be on the court or on the field so at first I was really disappointed. But whenever you're on a team you have to buy into the whole team concept, and I realized it maybe wasn't my place to be on the court last year. I accepted my place and tried to become one of the leaders on the bench. I started being vocal and just tried to learn as much as I could from players like Eliane Santos. I learned a lot from how she plays and her approach to the game and I grew as a volleyball player. I probably wouldn't have been able to handle college volleyball last year. Now this year, having that redshirt year has really helped me and I'm really thankful for it now."

On having a whole year to get acclimated to college volleyball:
"It was really nice. I learned a lot about the game in general -- how it's coached, how it's played, how offenses and defenses work and what it takes to be successful. I learned a lot from my teammates and it was just really helpful for me."

On how much the redshirt year served as motivation for this season:
"It was huge motivation. When we went to Hawaii for the NCAA regional last year, I saw what big-time volleyball is all about and ever since then I've been waiting for my chance to go out there and get at it. That moment in Hawaii was where my college competitiveness was born because that was big-time."

On how exciting this year has been:
"It's just such a blessing to be out there with my teammates because they're such good girls and such good players. Four or five years ago I never would have dreamed I'd be playing volleyball. I really thought I was going to play basketball in college -- volleyball wasn't my thing. Just growing in the sport and getting a chance to be on the court is a blessing in itself and I thank God for that every day."

On her involvement in the Bridge Builders program:
"I first got involved when somebody else who was African American approached me about it and I thought it sounded pretty cool. I was always involved in community service in high school, so I thought it would be a good experience. I joined last year and was the freshmen liaison basically because no one else was there to do it at the time. From there I got to know the whole group and they're all good people and good athletes. This year I'm the community service chair, so lately I've been working with an elementary school in Oklahoma City called Marcus Garvey. We're trying to interact with them because they are primarily black students who need to know that there is a chance for them to succeed. We're trying to show them that just because they're black doesn't mean they won't graduate or won't be able to go to college."

On the different activities the Bridge Builders participate in:
"We meet weekly and do monthly activities. We are involved with Food for Friends at the local food bank, we feed the homeless, we mentor kids, we hold art shows -- we do a lot of things just to get African Americans involved in other things that they may not be used to or be inclined to participate in."

On when she started getting involved in community service and why she felt it was important:
"Being from a single-parent family, I've had a lot of people give to me and support me in many different ways. I have always wanted to give back just because there are a lot of kids out there being raised the same way I was. It's important that people reach out to them because it's a really hard life. It's something that has to be done -- someone has to reach out to them and I am really passionate about that."

On balancing academics, athletics and her community service activities:
"It's hard, but when you love everything you do you make it work. You just have to plan it out and make sure you give yourself reminders and make it work. Sometimes I forget things but it all works out."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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