Ashley Anumba ‘24
Interviewed by Julia D’Rozario ‘24
So, Ashley, where are you from?
I’m from Rancho Cucamonga, California, near Los Angeles.
What was it like growing up there?
It was great! All I remember is good memories. Just friends, family, fun, sun…obviously a lot of sports. Just a lot of happy memories.
You’re an amazing athlete, which I wanted to ask you about! Can you speak to your athletic journey?
Sure. So, my family is filled with athletes—my cousins, siblings, everybody—we all did something, and we were all pretty good at whatever we did. I wanted to do soccer, that was my big thing. But I tore my ACL, broke my wrist, broke my tooth, had all these injuries…and I realized, I can’t do this anymore; I need to find something else. So, I went to track. I wanted to sprint. My sister did throwing events, and I thought, that’s for her, let me do something by myself. But the coach saw me, and told me, “you’re really strong, throwing could be good for you.” I tried it, and it turns out he was right. I was good!
I started in my sophomore year of high school, so I actually started pretty late. But even that year, I was one of the best in the nation. It got me thinking, if I took this seriously, how good could I be? And that’s been it ever since. I found a lot of success in it very early, and I just kept going. It was fun. Some of the best memories in my life so far have been with my throwing team.
That’s awesome! So, you’re intending to take part in the Olympics— you must have an intense training schedule! What’s that like, and how do you balance it with school?
The way I see it is: whatever happens in terms of making the Olympics or not, I’ve kind of been training for it for seven years! Even though I only train for about three hours a day, I’ve been doing this for seven years. It’s the accumulation of your time, your experience…that’s what really matters. So, balancing sports and school is much easier than I think many people would imagine. But yeah, I might be more tired than the average person…maybe!
The way that school is set up, especially in our first year, we have time built into our schedules for lunch. So, I always leave during that break to go train. Then, after our last class, I go train. I try to keep my practice for when I’m feeling best; my peak ability times are usually in the early morning or afternoon.
Long story short, I just make sure that I stick to a schedule, and that I don’t stray from it too often. Of course, I don’t socialize as much as the average law student. It’s usually just school and track. I’m in and out of this building!
What about your law school journey? What drew you to law?
I didn’t go into undergrad knowing I wanted to be a lawyer. I thought I wanted to work in local government. If anything, I thought I'd get an MPP. Things changed when I realized this wasn't the path for me. In my first semester of undergrad, I took ‘Intro to American Politics.’ It was the worst class I've ever taken…so I had to switch gears. Still, law wasn’t really in my mind.
But I started working at this job—a student-run business—just to make some money. Eventually, I became the executive director. Within that position, I worked with the school’s compliance officers. They taught me what I could and couldn’t do, and how to make sure the business was compliant. I was in the head position for a little over a year, and, when it was time for me to think about next steps, I just wanted to know more about what they did. I knew they were lawyers, but my understanding of the law was mainly litigation, which was not me. But seeing what they were doing piqued my interest, because I appreciated the work they did for me, and I liked the counsel role that they took on.
It was a little, student-run business; kids doing their thing, making some money. It wasn’t that important in the grand scheme of things, but they took the time to talk to me about what it is that they do, and I felt that it was something I'd like to do too. That was a big turning point for me. I did also study Health Policy and Law, so I had the academic side, but I had the practical side through my job. Those experiences combined made me feel that law school was it for me.
Time for a fun question! What is the best advice you've ever received, whether in sports, in school, or in life?
First is that everyone is on their own path. I’ve really held onto that for the past few years. I never wanted to be the best at anything, period. I just wanted to do my best, move along, and stay in my lane. And doing that has opened up so many opportunities for me. I think that a trap that a lot of people fall into is comparing themselves to others. I think it’s detrimental. So, I’m happy that this piece of advice—that everyone is on their own journey—has stuck with me for so long.
Also, be happy…celebrate the small wins. Since the pandemic, I've been more grateful for my life. Even though things are hard, I’m just so happy to be alive! To be doing what I’m doing, chasing my dreams. Even though this is absolutely wild, this position that I’m in, I’m just so amazed at myself. If there were a clone of me, and I could see myself as a third person, I’d be in awe of what I’m doing, and the life I’ve lived so far.
I’m just happy. I’m grateful. And I hope I always will be, no matter what I’m doing in the future. My life has been great so far, I have no complaints!
I think that’s something a lot of law students need to hear.
Yeah! Law school is hard. But it’s been fun! We’re learning so much; this is some fascinating stuff! I’m happy to have the opportunity to learn about something that’s so applicable to so many people’s lives.
Lightning round!
Favorite restaurant in Charlottesville?
Citizen Burger Bar.
What song is on repeat recently?
Let’s go with I Drink Wine, by Adele (I actually don’t drink wine).
Favorite song of all time?
Anything by Anderson .Paak.
What is your favorite food?
It depends on my mood!
What about your favorite thing to cook?
Seafood!
Are there any shows that you've been watching recently?
I've been watching everything under the sun. 2022 has been dropping some very good shows. I just started Ozark, which is good. Love is Blind just dropped season two, and I watched the first episode today, so that’s on the list. Also Abbott Elementary.
Pet peeves?
People who aren’t grateful.
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jkd2dd@virginia.edu