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Sporting Curls · The Tight Curls Project

• 0:08
  Hello, my name is Shadia and welcome to the Tight Curls Project podcast.
• 0:13
  Today we have a very special guest.
• 0:15
  Her name is Amiah Burgess and she is a student athlete at Duke University and champion for women's sports.
• 0:21
  and really importantly, she is our first intern and she's really been killing it.
• 0:27
  So we really wanted to bring her on the podcast and learn more about her.
• 0:30
  So welcome Amiah.
• 0:32
  Thank you.
• 0:32
  Thank you so much.
• 0:33
  I'm so excited to be here and to be on the
• 0:35
  pod and it's been a great summer interning here at Texture Tech.
• 0:39
  and with the Tight Curls project.
• 0:42
  So I'm very grateful for both the opportunity for both things.
• 0:46
  Yes.
• 0:47
  Well, welcome, welcome.
• 0:48
  So let's get into it.
• 0:49
  First, the question we like to ask people, what are you loving right now?
• 0:53
  What is something you're really enjoying?
• 0:54
  You know, right now, I am really loving exploring Durham.
• 0:58
  uh If you're from Duke or the Durham era, you know the Duke bubble.
• 1:04
  and it is very real.
• 1:05
  People don't get out much and they don't explore and so you get stuck in
• 1:09
  same three places, but being up here for the summer and especially interning here in American Underground, I have explored downtown and I have tried so many different food
• 1:19
  places that I've never tried before.
• 1:20
  went to the farmer's market last weekend for the first time.
• 1:23
  Um, and there's so many other things that I have been like putting on my bucket list of just like local Durham things and
• 1:33
  happenings and whatnots that like I want to try and so it's been very exciting to like expand my horizon.
• 1:39
  of like what Durham is and what I can do here besides the typical Duke activities.
• 1:44
  Get to know the city.
• 1:46
  Yeah, that's great.
• 1:47
  Yeah.
• 1:48
  So let's start with young Amiah Let's take it back to when you're a school age kid, you're obviously a very talented softball player at a Division 1 school.
• 1:58
  I'm guessing you've playing sports your whole life.
• 2:00
  yeah.
• 2:01
  So what did you think about your hair when you were little?
• 2:03
  How did that play into your world when you were a little kid?
• 2:08
  man.
• 2:08
  know, growing up, I will start by saying that a lot of the ladies in my family specifically were very much into oh
• 2:17
  the perm, um, very much into the silk press.
• 2:22
  So
• 2:23
  Although there was no shame or anything, I would never say that about like how they made me feel about my curly hair.
• 2:28
  It just wasn't something that I was seeing often.
• 2:31
  and, and also getting into the athlete piece, I was training, I was going to tournaments a lot.
• 2:38
  I was doing a lot of things.
• 2:40
  so whenever it was time to do my hair, would consider myself tender headed.
• 2:44
  just, wasn't into it.
• 2:45
  Like, it took so much time.
• 2:47
  It took so much effort and.
• 2:49
  now that I'm older, I'm learning it's because I didn't take care of it enough and that's it was so
• 2:53
  hard.
• 2:54
  But you know, then I'm not thinking like that.
• 2:56
  So it's taking all this time and it's effort and it hurts.
• 2:59
  And I'm like, this is not, this is not worth it.
• 3:02
  This is not worth it in any way.
• 3:03
  Like I just want to go play softball and I want to come home and I want to rest.
• 3:08
  Fixing my hair.
• 3:10
  I didn't see how that fit into my life.
• 3:12
  And you're when you, it was your family doing it, your mom doing it?
• 3:15
  my mom, my mom mainly did my hair.
• 3:18
  I don't think I really started seeing stylists until...
• 3:21
  uh late middle school, early high school.
• 3:24
  So yeah, she was mostly in my head, braiding And I think something you shared before is that you would have like a full 12 hour day when you had games and multiple games.
• 3:34
  Yeah.
• 3:36
  Travel ball is an insane, it's an insane world.
• 3:39
  There would be times where I would get up as early as six, you know, that they...
• 3:44
  the games are never close.
• 3:46
  So they're at least an hour if it's local, if you're lucky.
• 3:48
  If I got to go to another state, that's a whole nother story.
• 3:51
  But if it's not
• 3:52
  local, it's at least an hour away.
• 3:53
  The games at 8 AM and you know, sometimes you could go eight to eight.
• 3:57
  Um, just depending on the schedule of the day, I played typically no less than two, no more than four a day.
• 4:03
  I can't even fathom that in college now.
• 4:06
  I, whenever they say doubleheader, I'm like doubleheader.
• 4:10
  But, yeah, back in the day.
• 4:12
  We really were playing for it could be four games a day so Imagine that and then coming home and then being like well my hair is a mess But I just did a 12-hour day in the sun
• 4:22
  like no way.
• 4:23
  Yeah Well two things shout out to your parents driving around But you didn't have time for a whole wash day, right?
• 4:34
  Because you're spending a whole day traveling and playing softball.
• 4:38
  Yeah, so when you got older
• 4:41
  What do you feel like the messages you were taught about hair?
• 4:44
  Did they start to change?
• 4:45
  Like what really started to change your relationship with your own hair?
• 4:50
  Yeah, you know, I don't think I even started caring about my hair until probably junior year of high school.
• 4:59
  And my aunt actually, she started braiding hair and she was doing my baby cousin's hair.
• 5:05
  ah
• 5:07
  And as she was...
• 5:08
  developing her skills, I was like, oh, like this looks really good.
• 5:12
  Eventually, she was putting sets in my baby cousin's hair that I was like really, really loving.
• 5:17
  And I was like, oh, you know, I like this.
• 5:21
  Like, I want to do this.
• 5:22
  And so I was like, yeah, I want to.
• 5:24
  I want to put this set in my hair.
• 5:26
  and I brought this bright blonde hair to her and I yeah, this is the one that I want to do.
• 5:32
  She was like, okay.
• 5:34
  We put this platinum blonde set of hair in and that was one of very first box prints that I ever got and I fell in love with the style.
• 5:44
  It was a new found confidence.
• 5:46
  It felt like I living in this alter ego-ish.
• 5:50
  Okay, that's your Sasha Fierce.
• 5:52
  Yes, and it was so necessary.
• 5:55
  I was also, you know, first boyfriend, first breakup kind of thing.
• 6:00
  I like, I need change.
• 6:01
  I need something different.
• 6:03
  So I guess like, I'm getting some braids.
• 6:06
  that's just the solution that I came up with.
• 6:10
  I am so happy and grateful.
• 6:13
  And I look back at those posts I've sent and I still am like, yeah, I need to run that back.
• 6:17
  Every time I pull, every time a memory comes up and I see those braids again, I said, yeah, I killed those.
• 6:22
  So well done to you and your aunt, right?
• 6:25
  You collab-oed on that.
• 6:27
  she was she was willing to help you right yeah I love that that's wonderful so as you think about now and now you're in college you're um not having your aunt braid your hair
• 6:37
  oh actually actually these these braids here
• 6:41
  are done.
• 6:42
  Miss Erica Carol.
• 6:43
  out to you, Beautiful work.
• 6:47
  Beautiful work.
• 6:49
  Yeah.
• 6:50
  So you're a student athlete.
• 6:52
  How do you manage your hair now?
• 6:54
  How has that changed as you've gone from being at home to being in school when you're, you know, dealing with your schedule and dealing in a different environment, figuring out how
• 7:03
  to take care of your hair?
• 7:04
  yeah, so one of the reasons that I was really drawn to the Duke softball program was definitely the diversity on the team.
• 7:13
  I knew that I wanted to be in a place where
• 7:15
  there were other girls that looked like me.
• 7:17
  Um, and Duke absolutely just stood out in that department.
• 7:22
  I am so blessed to be surrounded by a numerous amount of black girls that have inspired me, they helped me.
• 7:31
  out Duke's softball team.
• 7:34
  we are a diverse bunch but it has been such a blessing and even I was I told her this a little bit before but
• 7:42
  having a black community in general when I came to Duke, even outside of my team has been so influential into my hair journey.
• 7:50
  I remember one time my freshman year, I had a hair appointment the next day and I had a group of six black girls in my head.
• 7:58
  At one point just taking out my braids, getting That's a luxury experience.
• 8:02
  pay big money to have multiple work interviews.
• 8:04
  Exactly, exactly.
• 8:05
  But it was like, it's just something that I had never experienced before.
• 8:08
  So having that community of people not in my sports community and then
• 8:12
  also having a community within my sports team of like, oh, this is the new product that I'm trying.
• 8:18
  You should try this.
• 8:20
  I know how to braid hair.
• 8:21
  Like I can braid your hair.
• 8:22
  And so it's been this like collaborative journey that has actually made me want to try different things with my hair.
• 8:31
  It has made me want to upkeep it just because I'm seeing other girls that look like me do different styles.
• 8:37
  I get inspired and I just know that I'm not alone and that the effort is worth it.
• 8:42
  The effort is worth it.
• 8:43
  So it doesn't feel as much as a burden, but like self-expression and something you can do.
• 8:48
  Exactly.
• 8:48
  Yeah, exactly.
• 8:50
  hard sometimes if you're like, Oh, I got to do this thing.
• 8:52
  You don't have an image of what you want.
• 8:54
  You just know it needs to be done versus, Oh, this is something that I would like to try next.
• 8:59
  Yeah.
• 8:59
  And I will say to that point of like, can I even do this?
• 9:03
  Well, the people around me say that I can't, you know, whatever is it physically possible or that will look good physically.
• 9:10
  Even like just like, can't like, can I get this?
• 9:12
  And they're like, well, if you can't get it done, we can help you.
• 9:14
  That's really, that's great.
• 9:16
  You know?
• 9:17
  Yeah.
• 9:17
  So it's like,
• 9:18
  it's encouraging.
• 9:19
  Yeah.
• 9:20
  Yes you can do this.
• 9:21
  Like this is something that you can do.
• 9:23
  Whereas before I would put it off and say I don't know how to do this.
• 9:26
  don't know anyone that knows how to do this.
• 9:29
  I just felt like so separated from this part of my life.
• 9:34
  And it wasn't something where you're trying to look up.
• 9:36
  solutions online or YouTube.
• 9:38
  was just now you want to, it's the in-person that has been a game changer for you.
• 9:42
  Absolutely.
• 9:42
  Absolutely.
• 9:43
  And how do you primarily, where you're here now, is it different in season or out of season?
• 9:47
  that factor into the styles you pick?
• 9:49
  oh I try to be a bit more creative when I'm out of season.
• 9:54
  Oh, okay.
• 9:55
  I definitely, little teaser preview, but I do want to try a sew-in.
• 9:59
  I've never done a sew-in before.
• 10:01
  I've never done anything like wig related with my hair, but shout out to
• 10:07
  Jennings.
• 10:07
  She slays things all day and she has learned, she taught herself how to install.
• 10:13
  Wow.
• 10:14
  Which has been a dream.
• 10:15
  It's been so cool to watch her learn.
• 10:17
  She's very crafty like that too.
• 10:18
  um But I want to try that when it's cooler and playing.
• 10:24
  uh But yeah, I try to be able to create them in the fall just because we're not doing as much.
• 10:28
  I'm not sweating as much.
• 10:29
  Yeah.
• 10:30
  And then in the spring when I am playing, have a go to with the braids.
• 10:34
  I love having blonde braids.
• 10:36
  Okay.
• 10:36
  Typically, like I have blonde braids in.
• 10:39
  I try.
• 10:40
  oh In between I might take a set out and leave my hair rest and put a set in.
• 10:45
  But if you look at photos and everything,
• 10:47
  you're gonna be like, the girl with the blonde braids.
• 10:50
  yeah, that's kind of like your signature.
• 10:52
  I love it.
• 10:53
  And is that something you think about?
• 10:54
  Because you're also a television, right?
• 10:57
  Look at that.
• 10:57
  You guys got to look out for Amiah.
• 10:58
  I wanted to stand out.
• 10:59
  I just wanted to stand out on TV.
• 11:02
  And I said, how can I do that?
• 11:04
  I said, yeah, let me just find the brightest, blondest braids.
• 11:08
  I can.
• 11:09
  Let me just put those in my head.
• 11:10
  And you'll never, you won't be able to miss me.
• 11:13
  I can't miss her.
• 11:14
  Can't miss me?
• 11:15
  Yes.
• 11:15
  Yes.
• 11:16
  Also very photogenic.
• 11:17
  Yes.
• 11:18
  You'll see.
• 11:19
  So we should talk about some of your photos.
• 11:21
  Yeah.
• 11:22
  We have your photos.
• 11:23
  here.
• 11:24
  So I think we can walk through a little bit just that matches what you've been sharing, um, in your journey.
• 11:30
  So I think I just loved that a little Amiah, like you said before, she was really someone who was like, let me just get this hair done, but it was working, you know?
• 11:42
  And then you can kind of see the progression of how you.
• 11:45
  started to really
• 11:48
  Evolves tell us a little bit.
• 11:49
  This is you.
• 11:50
  How do you you were here?
• 11:51
  I had been so I was telling you this but um, you can get recruited really early back in the you can get recruited really early so I was maybe 12 or 13 in this picture.
• 12:07
  I couldn't have been older than that.
• 12:09
  I might have been a seventh grader.
• 12:12
  Mmm, and I got back then the big headband
• 12:16
  that was my go-to.
• 12:17
  Okay.
• 12:18
  Well, not necessarily my signature, but it's like I was trying to hide my edges.
• 12:21
  I actually, didn't even learn about edge control and how to do my edges until college.
• 12:25
  Okay.
• 12:25
  So that was not a thing at all.
• 12:28
  So I was like, these, I have these beady beads and I don't know what to do with them.
• 12:32
  So I would just slap the headband on top and it kind of everything else.
• 12:35
  And you never had a relaxer, right?
• 12:37
  No.
• 12:37
  Yes.
• 12:38
  So you did not have a relaxer.
• 12:39
  Your family had relaxers.
• 12:42
  Okay.
• 12:42
  So you're figuring that on your own and then you just have straight back.
• 12:44
  cornrows?
• 12:45
  Yeah.
• 12:45
  So I probably had straight back cornrows and then I always put it in a bun because I didn't like the way it looked down.
• 12:49
  Okay.
• 12:50
  I never liked the way it looked down.
• 12:52
  I don't
• 12:53
  know.
• 12:56
  But yeah the headband This is me at a visit to Texas Tech.
• 13:05
  I'm in Texas native.
• 13:06
  So yes, obviously had to go around the Texas schools
• 13:10
  And then this last one, you can probably see a little bit better what I mean by I really just didn't care.
• 13:16
  This is like my first national championship that I had won.
• 13:20
  That's amazing.
• 13:21
  And I had brought to home run.
• 13:22
  this game.
• 13:23
  So this is like a, this is a game I will actually never forget.
• 13:25
  And it was on ESPN.
• 13:26
  So this is my first time being on ESPN.
• 13:29
  I robbed a home run and that rob ended up at the sports center.
• 13:33
  So that was my first time being on sports center as well.
• 13:35
  I've been on sports center twice.
• 13:37
  That's amazing.
• 13:38
  Of course she has and we'll be again.
• 13:40
  We'll be looking for you.
• 13:42
  Okay.
• 13:43
  The infamous blonde set that I was talking about.
• 13:47
  mean, I don't know if you guys can see it.
• 13:49
  It's absolutely I'm radiating confidence.
• 13:52
  Yes, you are.
• 13:53
  I love this picture.
• 13:55
  This is what you said, junior year.
• 13:57
  This is my junior year.
• 13:58
  This is just finishing up my junior year of high school.
• 14:01
  So like May of 2022.
• 14:07
  And then here's me trying some different styles.
• 14:10
  This is me.
• 14:11
  So I have twists in, which I like to do.
• 14:13
  I like to do the twist out, but I would just keep the twists in.
• 14:17
  My hair keeps, a lot of girls, some of the times their hair doesn't keep it, but my hair keeps it.
• 14:22
  And it's actually really long now.
• 14:23
  When I go home, I'm actually gonna get twists and I'm gonna come back up here with twists before school.
• 14:27
  ah But I love this.
• 14:30
  I have actually had to learn to love this style.
• 14:32
  Sometimes.
• 14:34
  Yes.
• 14:35
  And then it was also really short.
• 14:37
  And so
• 14:37
  so like, keep finding myself wanting to tie back, like, feeling insecure about it, in a way.
• 14:44
  And I was like, I don't understand why, like, I was so insecure about it being short and like, me looking like a boy.
• 14:49
  And I was like, I don't want that.
• 14:51
  But I was definitely, this is my senior year.
• 14:54
  And if, for the people that don't know, this is a mum.
• 14:57
  And yeah, didn't know what it was.
• 14:59
  That's it's Yes, it's a mum.
• 15:00
  And so that's what I wear during homecoming.
• 15:02
  Okay.
• 15:02
  And so it's different.
• 15:03
  colors.
• 15:04
  My colors are more in white, but they're blue because it's like Duke themed.
• 15:07
  And you can do like whatever colors you want your senior year.
• 15:09
  So you wear it during homecoming.
• 15:11
  Yes.
• 15:12
  And then you have your school you're going to.
• 15:14
  Yeah, that's what I did.
• 15:15
  I mean, that was the theme for mine.
• 15:16
  But other people had other things.
• 15:18
  Is this a Texas thing?
• 15:19
  Yeah, it's a Texas thing.
• 15:21
  I mean, everything's bigger in Texas, including our flowers.
• 15:26
  But I do hear you what you're saying.
• 15:27
  And I think I've experienced that too with when I have twists and because I get so much shrinkage, I usually don't.
• 15:33
  have to go to my hair not blow dry.
• 15:34
  So it's, you know, the twister here and I'm like, my hair's longer.
• 15:37
  But I think we're so socialized to think your hair needs to be longer to be feminine.
• 15:41
  And especially if you wear braids that are to your butt, you know, usually it's a very different change, but it's still beautiful.
• 15:47
  Yeah.
• 15:47
  And I've really grown into that as the years have gone on.
• 15:52
  even like wearing it in college at first freshman year, for sure.
• 15:54
  I was feeling a little bit insecure about wearing my twist out and out about and around, but I'm coming back.
• 16:01
  with twist.
• 16:02
  And I think what happened is I figured out that I love a piece that like frames my face.
• 16:06
  So every time I go in and I ask for twist, I make sure that she has two pieces that frame my face.
• 16:13
  And it makes me feel so much better about like myself.
• 16:15
  And so obviously that's a part of my hair journey.
• 16:17
  That's something that I learned that I really love.
• 16:19
  I love hair that frames my face.
• 16:21
  And so you can make styles and you can figure out what styles do that.
• 16:25
  And that has helped me be more comfortable in like wearing different things.
• 16:29
  uh
• 16:30
  And I think also practice where your hair at different styles.
• 16:33
  Because if you're not used to seeing it and it's natural state or in twists, it's always drawing when you get a new hairstyle sometimes, you know, and then it's like, okay, I
• 16:41
  actually like this.
• 16:42
  Oh, this does look good.
• 16:43
  You this does work.
• 16:44
  know how to style them, the pieces down or have a half up or what it is, whatever it is.
• 16:48
  But I think it's nice to able to wear your hair in multiple ways and be okay with seeing yourself represented more natural or, you know, a wig, whatever it is, you know.
• 16:57
  I love that.
• 16:59
  Okay We were ACC champions my freshman year and that was a crazy experience one because I played like I couldn't believe myself but Also, just because I mean that's like my first
• 17:15
  year at the ACC tournament
• 17:17
  was at Duke.
• 17:18
  Wow.
• 17:19
  I didn't realize that.
• 17:20
  It was such a special moment like to win the ACC Championship.
• 17:23
  This is 2020.
• 17:24
  This is 2024.
• 17:26
  win the ACC Championship at Duke on our field We had a very special group of seniors oh It's just incredible But like I said, I had the bright blonde like blonde is really when I
• 17:37
  when we're talking about me playing like that is my signature and this was This is the blonde is set up.
• 17:43
  Yeah, it's it had it's the normal braids within it also has
• 17:47
  the little, what those called?
• 17:49
  The felonies?
• 17:49
  Yeah.
• 17:50
  Yeah.
• 17:51
  The boho.
• 17:52
  The boho.
• 17:53
  Like the boho pieces.
• 17:54
  Yeah.
• 17:54
  boho pieces.
• 17:55
  Boeing.
• 17:56
  Yeah, and they were brighter than oh, yeah, so I was extra blonde.
• 18:02
  Oh, Yes.
• 18:04
  That's amazing.
• 18:06
  Yeah.
• 18:06
  I love it.
• 18:07
  I love it.
• 18:09
  And also, you know, your team is pretty young as a D1 team, right?
• 18:13
  Yeah.
• 18:13
  Duke So we're coming into year nine.
• 18:16
  And I think it's so special.
• 18:17
  Year 10 will be my senior year.
• 18:19
  So I will get to celebrate 10 years at Duke softball.
• 18:23
  If anyone knows me, they know I'm
• 18:24
  loved Duke softball for a long time.
• 18:25
  I've been watching since team three and I've been cheering them on since team three.
• 18:29
  was an absolute dream.
• 18:30
  This is the only place I wanted to go.
• 18:32
  It was an absolute dream to get recruited to play here and to like
• 18:37
  bringing championships home.
• 18:39
  Go to the women's college world series for the first time.
• 18:41
  Wow.
• 18:42
  was the first team to represent Duke there.
• 18:45
  Just so special.
• 18:47
  I'm so proud of that.
• 18:48
  And I'll probably be proud of that.
• 18:49
  I will be talking about that for the rest of my life.
• 18:51
  Yeah, till you're my age.
• 18:52
  Yes, for the rest of my life, I be talking about that.
• 18:56
  Amazing.
• 18:57
  Yes, and so this is another set that I did.
• 18:59
  Like I said, I'm always wearing Do you have one braider?
• 19:02
  I do have one braider and I love
• 19:04
  her.
• 19:04
  I actually have two braiders now.
• 19:06
  Okay.
• 19:07
  One because the place that I like to go to does like walk-ins and stuff.
• 19:13
  so I have.
• 19:15
  that sometimes fits with my schedule a little bit more, but I also have a girl that I love.
• 19:18
  name is Keisha.
• 19:19
  Shout out Keisha.
• 19:20
  I love her and she does amazing work but you know sometimes she's booked and busy and she should be.
• 19:25
  Yeah.
• 19:25
  She should be and you can't fault her for it but sometimes my schedule is tight.
• 19:29
  You travel a lot.
• 19:31
  Yeah.
• 19:31
  So I flip-flop between the two but those two
• 19:35
  my girl.
• 19:35
  Yes.
• 19:36
  Absolutely.
• 19:37
  I love the cowboy hat, Texas girl.
• 19:39
  Yeah.
• 19:40
  And then I think this should be the last picture to meet up.
• 19:43
  Oh, I love
• 19:45
  set.
• 19:46
  This is my first time trying the...
• 19:48
  uh
• 19:49
  oh, what is this style called?
• 19:52
  Oh, and.
• 19:53
  yeah, I do.
• 19:55
  curls This is the first time I tried French curls I got two sets like this last year.
• 20:00
  So like, sophomore year was my French curl year.
• 20:02
  I got this blonde set.
• 20:04
  Like I said, I'm all blonde in season.
• 20:05
  This was right before the season started.
• 20:07
  It's like more of a honey blonde.
• 20:08
  Yes.
• 20:09
  This set was everything she gave, she gave, she gave.
• 20:13
  Absolutely.
• 20:14
  No.
• 20:14
  You really just did this sponsored photo shoot or you just.
• 20:18
  this picture?
• 20:19
  This?
• 20:19
  So we did, we had media day and we did all the videos.
• 20:22
  So all the videos that were on the video board,
• 20:23
  I had this set put in and then like they were doing the videos and I was also taking some additional photos.
• 20:30
  mood, definitely feeling myself.
• 20:32
  This is actually in the dugout.
• 20:34
  Oh wow, okay.
• 20:36
  I love this photo of me.
• 20:37
  I forgot about this.
• 20:38
  It's wonderful.
• 20:38
  This is not what I thought was coming out.
• 20:40
  Oh, let's see if you got one more.
• 20:41
  That's it.
• 20:42
  This is the end.
• 20:42
  Oh, this is the end?
• 20:43
  Yes.
• 20:43
  I thought there was a picture of me playing, but that's okay.
• 20:47
  Oh, we want a picture of you playing.
• 20:48
  No, but that's okay.
• 20:49
  Okay.
• 20:50
  Trust, guys.
• 20:51
  I play.
• 20:52
  Well, I have one in the post-production.
• 20:54
  Am I playing?
• 20:54
  Okay.
• 20:55
  Do you know what the picture is?
• 20:56
  Insert, yeah, it was like me looking at my wristband and I was standing out there in left field and it was just like a very clear shot of my hair to be like, yes, guys, I really do
• 21:04
  wear blonde braids.
• 21:05
  Like, that is the go-to.
• 21:07
  And I think I really just proved it with all
• 21:09
  of these photos.
• 21:11
  Blonde after blonde after blonde moment.
• 21:14
  that is great
• 21:15
  Alright, well let's talk a little bit about what you're working on this year and like as your student what are some of other things you're you're passionate about?
• 21:23
  I know you really care a lot about women's sports and you have some other interests outside of softball so yeah um so I love sports like in general always have been always
• 21:36
  watching different things.
• 21:38
  My parents actually were college athletes.
• 21:40
  So baseball and basketball, very big things in my house.
• 21:45
  And then, you know, typical football, all that good stuff.
• 21:50
  came to college and actually I first we have the writing class and in that writing class We were like host to like make a project and it's like if you could change anything and do
• 22:01
  like what would you change?
• 22:04
  I knew that our softball team is gonna be really good that year and I was like I want people like to come and see it so I did my whole project on
• 22:12
  attendance of women's sports and so how can we increase women's sports attendance at Duke specifically because I feel like Duke versus
• 22:19
  other bigger universities, it's two separate things because of how intimate the universities are small.
• 22:25
  driving numbers is a little bit different and difficult just because of the sheer amount of people there are to go.
• 22:32
  But yes, have all these D1 sports teams.
• 22:35
  And all of our women's sports are fabulous.
• 22:37
  We have soccer, who's probably going to be top five this year.
• 22:40
  uh Our diving team, our women's diving team is pretty good.
• 22:44
  Our lacrosse team went to the final eight.
• 22:46
  So oh I'm very tapped in as you can see.
• 22:49
  But yeah, so did a whole project.
• 22:51
  I'm like, how can I increase women's sports viewership or visibility on campus?
• 22:57
  And I came up with an idea for a club.
• 23:00
  Oh, okay.
• 23:01
  You know I turned in the project not actually thinking anything of it and my teacher read through my project She said no this should like be a thing Wow
• 23:09
  Like this should be like a real, like you should do this.
• 23:11
  And I was like, really?
• 23:12
  And she was like, yeah, like you should do this.
• 23:15
  And I was like, okay.
• 23:16
  And she connected me with another girl on, in the class that had a similar project.
• 23:21
  um And we founded the club.
• 23:25
  So I started the club last year.
• 23:27
  It's called Duke Blue Crew.
• 23:28
  Duke Blue Crew.
• 23:30
  yes and we go to the women's sports games and we kind of just cultivate the experience we bring signs sometimes we brought boomsticks we bring
• 23:39
  we try to bring more people, more fans.
• 23:41
  We promote the games ourselves.
• 23:43
  And ah I work with athletes because we are trying to promote relationships.
• 23:48
  That is kind of the avenue that we're taking because, because Duke is so small.
• 23:53
  I feel like the best way to get people to go to women's sports.
• 23:55
  I mean, we're not basketball.
• 23:57
  We're not that big brand.
• 23:58
  I think the best way is if you know a girl on the team, you're gonna want to go Yes, you're gonna want to go and see her play because you've known her you've interacted with
• 24:06
  her so the whole point of the club is to have
• 24:09
  events.
• 24:10
  We're gonna do movie nights at Duke softball stadium We're trying to plan a tailgate and sponsorship We're getting involved with different clubs on campus along with ours to
• 24:19
  partner and we're like let's build these relationships between athletes and between students that just go here and let's cultivate this relationship that way you guys
• 24:27
  more people at your games.
• 24:29
  And so yeah I am the president and founder of that co-president.
• 24:33
  I have fabulous staff under me and then I also just accepted a position ah
• 24:39
  with True Blue TV.
• 24:40
  What?
• 24:41
  Yes.
• 24:41
  Oh, So True Blue TV.
• 24:44
  is so exciting.
• 24:45
  I'm so excited to get working on that.
• 24:47
  It's working in tandem with Blue Crew.
• 24:49
  So we're going to do cross promotion kind of thing.
• 24:53
  So it's like, we've got the people, they've got the brand, and we're going to mash that together.
• 24:57
  um So I'm very excited
• 24:59
  about the partnership and the role that I'm going to be.
• 25:03
  in the fall and just starting to do content creation that's not what I thought I'd be doing at Duke this is not what I this is not what I thought I'd be doing at Duke at all
• 25:12
  This seems like a natural outflowing and fit for things that you're passionate and interested in already.
• 25:17
  And I love that you just been trying and creating and building this.
• 25:22
  Things have just like, not necessarily fallen into my lap.
• 25:24
  I guess I like, I've had these ideas and I'm like, oh, this would be fun or this would be cool.
• 25:28
  But like, if you would have told me.
• 25:31
  three years ago that I was going to start a club and be involved and do NIL and no way like I was not like you're you're joking now.
• 25:40
  But I just I guess I do jack-of-all-trades.
• 25:44
  do it all.
• 25:44
  I love to side quest too.
• 25:45
  I've done some other fun side quest.
• 25:47
  You're like, how do you have time?
• 25:49
  I probably, I have a good question.
• 25:50
  I probably don't.
• 25:51
  I'm being real, I probably don't, but I've figured out how to just like.
• 25:58
  even though I'm an athlete, like to do everything.
• 26:01
  And I encourage that.
• 26:02
  Do everything.
• 26:02
  Even if it seems like random.
• 26:04
  Yeah, that's great.
• 26:05
  You're very wise for your years because I think you never know how these pieces are going to come together later and the experiences of people you're meeting now just to make, I
• 26:13
  feel like you're going to look back on your time and be like, well, I did everything I wanted to do.
• 26:16
  did all the things.
• 26:17
  That's exactly how I feel.
• 26:18
  I'm so multifaceted and I knew that I couldn't just be an athlete yeah
• 26:24
  dude like that was not
• 26:26
  was never going to be me.
• 26:27
  I just didn't know how many different paths I was gonna end up going down, but like it's been an amazing ride.
• 26:34
  Yeah I'm very impressed by what you've gotten to do so far in school.
• 26:38
  I'm like, oh she's connected.
• 26:40
  that's wonderful.
• 26:42
  I think also in your time here you got to wear different hats as we started this Tight Curls Project podcast and I'm glad that you got to see different aspects of it.
• 26:51
  Yes.
• 26:51
  So Amiah let's wrap this up and just, think you should have shared a lot of interesting things, but if people want to connect with you, how can they connect with you?
• 27:01
  also one thing I want to do is get my Amiah.
• 27:04
  Burgess Jersey, which you can do or a shirt.
• 27:07
  I don't know what your products are going to be.
• 27:09
  So there is a jersey.
• 27:10
  There is a jersey.
• 27:11
  I'm working on a shirt, TBD.
• 27:14
  I think I'm working on some kind of custom merch, but you can get a Jersey at the Duke store.
• 27:19
  And I think there is a link in my bio on my Instagram.
• 27:22
  You can follow me on Instagram at Amiah That's three A's at the end and four H's at the end.
• 27:28
  ah You could also follow my other pages that I'm doing with my club at Duke Blue Crew.
• 27:34
  and at True Blue TV, if you want to see what's going on with that.
• 27:37
  And then I also just want to encourage your audience.
• 27:41
  If you live in a term Raleigh area, or even if you live wherever you live, go watch women's sports.
• 27:48
  Everyone's watching women's sports and so should you.
• 27:52
  Whatever, whatever you think it is, it's high school game.
• 27:55
  It's a professional game.
• 27:56
  It's your local college.
• 27:58
  Go watch some women's sports go make some friends go cheer on your local team ah
• 28:03
  Because I think the community that I have built here, the community that is like women's sports, lovers and whatnot, uh it's beautiful.
• 28:12
  And it's something that I probably will never walk away from.
• 28:15
  Yeah, uh that, I mean, those are my plugs We'll put everything in the show notes that you just mentioned.
• 28:23
  But yeah, I'll just say, it's been a pleasure having you Amiah a first intern
• 28:28
  far exceeded my expectations.
• 28:30
  I mean, everybody who's listening can see that you're
• 28:33
  your, ah your attention to detail, your care.
• 28:36
  Obviously, you do all the things you're doing.
• 28:39
  It's really funny because you're like, I'm not a type A person.
• 28:42
  like, you're a D1 athlete and you're doing 5 million things.
• 28:45
  I get it.
• 28:45
  I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm like,
• 28:48
  You get stretched thin and then it gets to a point.
• 28:51
  But you don't take yourself, you take yourself seriously, but not too seriously.
• 28:54
  So I think that's something that is really special about you.
• 28:57
  And it's great that you figured that out at such a young age so we can all learn something from you.
• 29:02
  Thank you.
• 29:03
  Yeah.
• 29:04
  really, I was so excited to do this.
• 29:07
  and this has been so fun and I obviously I'm a yapper so like this is right up my alley anyway and I'm so excited for like all of my friends and family.
• 29:17
  to like watch it and learn from you and to continue to plug this even when I don't work here anymore.
• 29:25
  You need a six sixth job, just let me know.
• 29:27
  So maybe, love to have you.
• 29:29
  All right.
• 29:30
  Well, thanks so much for listening to the Tight Curls Project podcast and we'll see you next time.
• 29:34
  I'm Shadia Oshodi
• 29:36
  And I'm Amiah Burgess.
• 29:37
  Alright, take care, bye everyone.