It’s certainly not how Columbia College senior Brianna Williams envisioned the final weeks of college. Due to COVID-19, the computer science major is back home in Brooklyn, finishing up her coursework and senior requirements. She expected to be in the dorms, deftly maneuvering the life of a student-athlete, as she has done for the past four years as a member of the tennis team.

A graduate of Bronx High School of Science—winning a PSAL championship her senior year—Williams wanted to compete at the Division I level and attend an intellectually stimulating college. Her goals have always included succeeding on the court and in the classroom.

“I was so lucky to be a student-athlete at such a high level educational institution,” Williams said. “When you are in the Ivy League, it’s pretty difficult to be more than a student because of the workload and how much we have to put into our education, but I was lucky enough to do both. I had to step to the plate both in my academics and my athletics.

“It meant a lot of time management and responsibility,” she added. “I had a ton of experiences that not a lot of people get to have in terms of success and teamwork. All those things made this whole experience really good for me.”

Over these past four years, Williams has seen her tennis game improve significantly, for which she thanks her coaches and teammates. Tennis is an individual sport, but she found a bond with her teammates that she will carry into her future.

“My teammates taught me a lot about being a competitor, not just for myself, but in a team environment,” Williams said. “I feel when you have internship and job experience, a lot is focused on being on a team and working together to finish a task. To be on a team in college really helped with how a team works.”

She graduated high school with a passion for math and found her niche in computer science while at Columbia. Last summer she did an internship at Citibank and this fall she’ll join the company’s tech program.

“I really want to pursue software engineering because I love computer science so much,” said Williams. “I love making things that can help other people. Eventually, I want to also do mechanical engineering, building software and hardware.”

She’s disappointed there won’t be a graduation ceremony, but hopes she and fellow members of the class of 2020 are invited to walk next year.