Academic Achiever of the Week: Anna Gathman

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - Our Academic Achiever of the Week has played sports her whole life and plans on taking it a step further.

Anna Gathman plays volleyball for Parkersburg South, while maintaining a GPA that’s over a 4.0. She takes AP classes and a college credit course as well.

Anna’s played team volleyball since sixth grade and it may have boosted her resume, but that’s not why she joined. For Anna, it’s not about the shiny trophy. It’s about the team.

She said, “It seems kind of silly but a lot of people at the time were playing it and it seemed very like a team atmosphere. It’s all about being together and trusting your teammates. I think that was a big part of why I wanted to be a part of.”

Volleyball isn’t the only sport Anna’s played. She’s been involved with sports since early childhood. She played soccer long before volleyball and even got involved in twirling.

It’s a lifestyle that’s greatly influenced her career goals. Anna’s already been accepted into West Virginia University, where she plans on studying sports management. It’s where she discovered her love of watching sports.

She said, “We had tickets to WVU football games and I feel like that’s kind of where it started of me just enjoying football and getting to see it.”

With a stellar GPA and a long history of balancing academic with sports, you may be wondering where she gets her motivation.

Well, she’s always been self-motivated but that stems from family, more specifically, her parents.

“At an early age, my parents definitely instilled in my sister and I that like education is important and just doing our best and being determined to do what we want to do,” Anna said.

With a good head on her shoulders, a volleyball under her arm, and her eyes focused intently on the game, this girl’s going places.