During Black History Month, App State Athletics is highlighting some of the accomplishments and perspectives of student-athletes who strive to make a difference.
A George, South Africa native,
Naledi Manyube is a sophomore for App State Tennis pursuing an undergraduate degree in exercise science.
On the court, Manyube is currently 5-1 in singles play and 6-1 in doubles so far this season.
Q: Who would you say are your most influential mentors and role models?
Naledi: I'll say my mom. She's always been there throughout my whole tennis journey, and probably a lot of my aunts because they would stay with us often. I would also say my tennis coach has been a big role model in my life.
Q: How did you get into playing tennis?
Naledi: I started when I was six or seven at school. At school, we had to do an extramural, which is like a sport. I played a lot of sports when I was younger, but tennis was the one that really stuck.
Q: What brought you to App State?
Naledi: I think just speaking to the coaches who recruited me and hearing what they had to say about the program as a whole and what they offered. What they said was exactly what I was looking for, and when they showed me Boone and I heard about Boone, it was like a small town that is very similar to where I live, so I wanted something kind of familiar but also very different. The tennis, the program and the people that I met were really nice.
Q: What do you want your legacy to be? How do you want to be remembered?
Naledi: At the moment, just someone who was kind to people and treated them the right way or with kindness. Being someone people could look to and think, you know, I could do the same thing. So I think kindness is something that is really important to me, and treating people with respect in a good way.
Q: What does Black History Month mean to you?
Naledi: Well, yes, it's an American thing but also not really. To me, how I recognize it and see its importance, it's like recognizing the people who came before me. I'm where I am today and have the opportunities that I have here because of my ancestors and people that came before me. They helped pave the way and went through struggles, so it's a respect thing and acknowledging that and being really grateful for, you know, where I am and what I'm able to do.
