Winta Woldeab is currently part of the women's tennis team at Columbia University. She was born and raised in Southern California, where her parents settled after immigrating from Eritrea, a country in East Africa. The name Winta means “wish” in Tigrinya, the language of Eritrea. She comes from a very humble hard-working family. Her parent's have made incredible sacrifices throughout her life to support her career in tennis; as well as her brother's, who plays tennis at the University of Texas. She now has the opportunity to change all of their lives for the better by attending an Ivy League school, which she probably would not have been able to if she was not an athlete. I hope her story serves as inspiration and motivation for current student athletes to stay committed in their sports, keep working hard, and follow their dreams.

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* Originally published on February 18, 2022, by Carlos Carrera