DIAMOND DOUGLAS, A TRUE WARRIOR THAT NEVER GAVE UP ON HER DREAMS

March 19, 1997, a little girl named Diamond Douglas was born in Washington DC. Looking at me, Diamond narrates her own story, a story of a girl that had to become an adult when she still was a child. A story of a strong female college athlete that learnt how to face heartless situations in her life, but made her become the person she is today.

“Few months after I was born, my mom and dad moved to Fort Washington, but once they split up, my mom moved to Forestville and I lived with her until I was in seventh grade”, Diamond explains. She looked down and rubbed her hands, like navigating back in time and remembering those moments.

Not long after moving in with her mom, Diamond left her house because they did not get along. That is why, she decided to live with her dad, and since then, they became inseparables. “I love him,” she said with a big smile on her face. “He is my hero and he makes me want to be a better person, he makes me want to be like him.” This true love between a father and a daughter helped Diamond to overcome life adversities. “I have always felt unconditional love for my dad, when I did not get it from my mom, he gave me two times as much as I needed.” Also, Diamond's stepmother has been one of the main supporters through all her hard times. "She is a role model for me and I love her so much," Diamond said. "She helped to make me into the person I am today."
However, her dad and stepmother are not the only ones that she unconditionally loves. Her mother also played an important roll in her life. "I really love my mom," she said. "In order for our relationship to be as great as it is now, I had to leave her house, we have grown closer now that I am an adult."

Diamond used and still uses her faith in God to overcome tough situations in her life. “I am very religious, most of people do not know that about me”, she explained. “I talk to God all the time, having that relationship with him is very important, because when I am going through things and I talk to him, I feel so much better.” Also, she used her communication with her family in order to go solve rough situations during her childhood until now. For her and her family,  talking about their problems is imperative to find the right solutions.  

Learn more about her life experiences outside basketball and check this video out!!

Diamond is a freshman basketball player at the University of Tampa in Florida, majoring in cyber security. Basketball has been for her, another way to scape from reality. As she explained, her father encouraged her to pursue her dreams which included, being a college athlete.  Diamond explains that being a college athlete is great, but it has also its bad things. She mentioned how being a college athlete is tough: “we not only have to excel in our sport; we also have to be success in the classroom because the ultimate goal is to get a degree.”

As a freshman, Diamond had her first experience as a student and athlete at the University of Tampa this year. Diamond's experience taught her that the most important things are to keep in mind are adapting and learning your surroundings. “You are in a totally different place, you do not know anyone at all,” she said. In her case, Diamond came by herself to a new state, Florida, and by socializing with her teammates and people in campus, she built her own family in Tampa. One of the most important advices that Diamond emphasised is that , “you have to learn your study habits, use the first semester to learn hoe are you going to be in your own, because your parents are not going to be there.”

Learn more about her student-athlete experience and check this video out!

I hope you guys enjoyed this amazing story! Stay connected because more incredible stories are coming!!