Jacqueline Arias/The rider
Name: Fatoumata Dacosta
Classification: Junior
Major: Accounting
Sports: Volleyball
Hometown: Dakar, Senegal
Who is your favorite athlete?
âKobe Bryant.â Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA.
Who is your role model?
âMy parents.â
What is the best advice youâve been given and by whom?
âMy mom has always told me to not give up and always try my best.â
Whereâs your favorite hangout spot on campus? Why?
âIâm just playing volleyball and donât do anything else. Maybe basketball.â
When did you begin playing basketball and why did you start?
âI started playing since I was 6 years old. My sisters would play volleyball and I started playing with them.â
Did you compete in high school and did you get any awards?
âWe donât have high school sports like here [in the U.S.], but I played in a club in my country and I played in the national team, too.â
What are your academic goals?
âI hope to get a 4.0 GPA.â
What is your favorite movie?
âFast Girls.â The film âFast Girlsâ is a 2012 sports drama about womenâs track.
Is there a song that gets your head in the game?
ââFight Songâ by Rachel Platten.â
How do you feel about being part of the first UTRGV Womenâs Volleyball Team?
âI think itâs great to have this team and this coach, itâs just awesome. I love this team and the coaches. The way that they just coach us and the way that they help us with everything.â
–Compiled by Jacqueline Arias

