COMMERCE– August 28, 2005. Memories of that day will forever be ingrained in the mind of Texas A&M-Commerce senior Brittany Adams. Early in the morning, then 11-year-old Brittany and her three sisters were awoken by their mother, Latisha. The Mayor of New Orleans had issued an evacuation order. Hurricane Katrina was about to make landfall.
 
"I remember my mom coming inside the room and she woke everyone up, panicking," Adams recalled. "I didn't know what was going on. I started freaking out. She was like, 'everything is going to be OK. Just get some clothes and we are just going to leave.'"
 
Adams still recalls rushing out of her home, leaving behind most of her belongings and also the family pets. She still thinks about the incident from time to time, especially seeing her dog run after the car.
 
"I started crying because it was so emotional," she said. "I was thinking, 'why are we leaving our dog? I want to bring her.' We noticed that we were getting on the highway and there was a lot of traffic. After that, I didn't want to freak out anymore so I just went straight to sleep. When I woke up I saw a number of cars everywhere. People were rushing out of their cars. I didn't understand at that time."
 
Adams' mother drove the family all the way to Texas in a car on its last leg. The car was able to make the entire journey only by what she called 'the grace of God.' Her mother kept the family together and kept them calm, doing so in an unorthodox way.
 
"My mom told some funny jokes during that moment," Adams recalled. "She was telling us we were going to be fine. My mom is a strong parent. She gets it from her mom. My grandma was a strong single parent also. My mom doesn't have any brothers or sisters, so she was an only child. With her having us it made her even stronger. Everything she does, she does for us."
 
The Journey to College Graduation
 
Coming to Texas changed everything for Adams. The tragedy brought her family closer together. It also got her out of an environment she fears would have kept her from the life she now dreams of and works to attain.
 
Adams struggled as a child in school. She had to take speech classes because of the slang that was prevalent in her neighborhood. She also suffered from dyslexia, though she was not diagnosed until she came to A&M-Commerce. Those around her just thought she was unintelligent.
 
"I don't think anybody ever really took the time to get her tested and realize that she is dyslexic," said Jason Burton, Adams' coach at A&M-Commerce. "That's one of the first things we did. She struggled when she got here, academically. We've realized why and we got her tested. Now she has been performing through the roof as far as her academics. All it took was people being there to help her out. She is really a bright kid and I think she has been doubted her whole life. I think people gave her the perception that she's not smart. But she really is, she just needed the right tools to be successful."
 
Adams also didn't live in the best environment. Her mother, a single parent with four daughters, wasn't always around because she was working to support her family. Adams was often left on her own and didn't always surround herself with people with high life goals. All that changed when her mother woke her and her sisters up, telling them they had to leave. Adams doesn't know where she would be if not for Hurricane Katrina, but she doubts she would be in college at all.
 
"If [the hurricane] hadn't happened, to be honest I don't think I'd be in school right now," she said. "My family was pretty rocky. It was hard for me growing up. I didn't think I would have the chance to go to college. I had people doubting me. I don't think I'd be doing any of the stuff I am doing now."
 
Having to leave everything behind except for a few clothes and pile into a car to flee an area changes priorities. Though to many, Hurricane Katrina is thought of as a tragedy, Adams sees it as something else entirely.
 
"I think it definitely was a big blessing for me and my family," she said. "It definitely brought me closer to my sisters and brought me closer to my mom. At first, I didn't really have a relationship with anyone. Now, life is too short to be thinking about bad things. Now I'm trying to get closer to everyone. To be honest, I am happy the hurricane happened because I don't know what I'd be doing right now if it didn't."
 
With the move to Texas came the opportunity to be scouted in the right places to send her to the right schools to get the right opportunities. Now in a few short weeks, Adams will be the first person in her immediate family to graduate from college.
 
"She just has a certain mentality where she knows what she wants in life and I don't think there is anything that can stop her from getting where she wants to be," Burton said. "The first major piece is she is about to get her degree. She is going to be the first person in her immediate family to do that. I think there is going to be a lot of firsts for Brittany as far as what she is able to accomplish."
 
Adams sees what this accomplishment will mean. Not only to her, but also to her family, especially the mother who left everything behind to keep her family safe and together.
 
"It means a lot to me and my family," Adams said. "My mom is really emotional right now because she is proud of me. Everyone is proud of me. Nobody thought I would make it this far. I'm the first on both sides of my family to do it. I'm very happy about it."
 
A Journey of Self Confidence
Adams stands a towering 6 feet 3 inches tall. She is not only the tallest player on her team– she is the tallest female athlete at A&M-Commerce. Those who see Adams off the court, they see a jovial 22-year-old with a big smile on her face. It wasn't always that way. It took her a while to accept who she was and what she had to offer.
 
"I started loving myself more as I got older," she said. "At first I wasn't comfortable with myself because I was always the tallest. I really couldn't speak proper English when I lived in New Orleans. It was so slang. I took a lot of speech classes growing up, trying to speak proper English. I am more comfortable with myself. That's why am always smiling and saying hi to others. I'm just happy now."
 
Fast-forwarding to the present, Adams tries to connect with everyone she meets. Having experienced life as someone who was excluded or teased for being different, Adams looks to include everyone.
 
"She is just someone who genuinely cares," Burton said. "There aren't a lot of people who have that same spirit. She will go up to talk to total strangers. Whenever we do community service, whether it is with the elementary school or whoever, she is always one of the most outgoing people on the team. She is so selfless as far as caring for others."
 
As a senior leader, Burton acknowledges the human nature that Adams might want to get more time on the court. But he has never heard a word from Adams in complaint.
 
"Being a senior, I'm sure she would have liked to have played more," he said. "But she has never been somebody that has caused problems because she is not playing. She just wants her team to win and she wants people around her to be successful. That's what is so special about her."
 
Burton loves the work ethic Adams brings to the floor. Even though she has battled injuries, he has seen a player who always comes to work and to do her best. Burton sees a selfless player who would do anything to help others succeed. He sees her cheery disposition as an asset, but one that he wishes she would hide on the court.
 
"She never stops smiling. I get on her in practice for smiling too much," he said with a laugh. "I tell her, 'you can't let people know that you are nice. You've got to be mean sometimes, at least on the floor.' She is just an awesome person."
 
Knowing what she has been through and how far she has come, Burton is grateful he has someone like Adams on his team. To him, she is the epitome of the culture he wants his team to have.
 
"She just fights," he said. "That's what's in her. That's just part of her story. She's appreciative of everything. There is something about that spirit. I'd take Brittany on any team that I'm coaching because she just finds a way to get things done. She doesn't complain about anything. She just works. She just fights and she does it with a smile."
 
The Journey Still to Come
 
Through her journey of self discovery and self confidence, Adams has seen the effect of having someone who can help along the way. She has seen what happens when someone feels alone, and she has also seen the difference someone can make in the lives of others. That is why Adams looks to continue her schooling as a graduate student.
 
"I want to be a counselor at an elementary school and help others," she said. "I feel as though, since nobody really helped me during the time when I was younger, I should help others while they are young. Some people might relate to me. I just want to go out there and help others."
 
There may be no one who believes in Adams more than her coach. The one person to rival him is Adams' mother. Burton is convinced she is one of the big reasons why Adams has been so successful, and will continue to be.
                                                               
"She wants to make sure she makes her mom proud," he said. "Her mom sacrificed a lot. You can't just pick up and leave. It's not easy to do that. But she did it for her family. I think Brittany wants to make sure that her mom's sacrifice isn't for nothing. That's a big reason why she works so hard. She wants to make her family proud. She wants to be a rock for her family and I think she is doing a great job."
 
Whatever the future holds for Adams, one thing is certain. She will face her challenges head on, with a warrior's attitude and her winning smile. Doubters beware. Brittany Adams has proved them wrong once and will prove them wrong again.