Vaughan Anoa’i: A Powerhouse Georgetown Athlete Dedicated To Service And Change

Vaughan Anoa’i is a force. Combining her love of volleyball and service, she has been able to impact the lives of many girls with her sense of passion.

A senior at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Vaughan is the school’s first Samoan and Black volleyball recruit. Her achievements span a mile long, as she comes from a wrestling dynasty family. She broke out from the family business, choosing volleyball.

Since then, she has become a two-time USA Volleyball Junior National Championships Gold Medalist and created her charity Vaughan’s Block Back, which helps to make club volleyball accessible for all girls – while balancing her studies at Georgetown. She has raised $19K for her pledge and plans to expand her reach to the DMV area, where she’s called home over the last three years.

Her Agenda spoke with Anoa’i about volleyball, her purpose, and her mission for the future.

Her Agenda: Tell me about the first time you picked up a volleyball. What made you fall in love with the sport?

Vaughan Anoa’i: When I was in elementary school, I was exposed to pretty much every sport. I played tennis, soccer, and basketball. While I enjoyed them, there wasn’t much of a connection, and I was still looking for other sports that I was interested in and wanted to try.

There were tetherball courts at my elementary school. Every day, I would go and play. I remember enjoying that feeling of hitting the ball. From there, I went to my parents and asked if they knew of any local teams or clubs that could teach me how to play volleyball. Afterwards, they started taking me to weekly clinics every Sunday. I didn’t go often, but that’s when I learned the fundamentals and fell in love with the sport.

Her Agenda: You have played volleyball with a bigger purpose in mind. What has inspired you to combine your love for service and volleyball?

Vaughan Anoa’i: Service has always been a core value of mine. It’s something that I’ve been fortunate enough to not only have been exposed to, but also grow up around for the entirety of my life. When I was in elementary school, I would volunteer at local shelters or soup kitchens with my parents. Up to this day, I still work with Big Sunday, which is a local community service organization here in Los Angeles. When I come home during spring or winter break, I still do my best to try and go and connect with them.

Once I got into volleyball and recognized it was a passion of mine, that inspired me to fuse two passions and hobbies that were such a huge part of my identity. After playing club volleyball for so many years, I began to see firsthand how it’s extremely expensive. I wanted to make it much more inclusive and representative of the community. I wanted that for other girls who always dreamed of playing, especially at the next level. 

Her Agenda: What has been the proudest moment of your journey so far?

Vaughan Anoa’i: Recently, I was able to donate $2,500 to Measina Volleyball Club, which is located in American Samoa, which is where my dad is from. I was able to visit American Samoa for the first time this past winter break. I was able to meet with coaches and club directors and hear about their experiences. My donation helped fund their first off-island tournament.

For many of these girls, they never traveled further than Hawaii. They were able to go all the way to Phoenix, Arizona, and compete in their first off-island tournament. It warmed my heart. It was an experience that meant so much to the coaches, the players, and their families. At that moment, I was able to see the global impact of my initiative and my pledge. To see the way that it has grown and come to fruition from what it once looked like in high school versus what it looks like now is an experience that I can’t even put into words.

Her Agenda: We’ve seen a resurgence in women’s sports. You have athletes like Angel Reese who’ve revitalized the WNBA. Do you think that the love and attention that women’s sports are receiving right now is here to stay? 

Vaughan Anoa’i: I’m positive that it will be here to stay. It’s so incredible seeing all the trailblazers across multiple female sports, whether it’s volleyball, basketball, or even softball. I’m the biggest Angel Reese fan ever. I admire her and the way she plays and carries herself. She’s a mentor whom I look up to in my own life.

The “everybody watches women’s sports” movement is something that came to the forefront in the past couple of years. At this point, it only continues to grow, especially with the WNBA. As athletes, especially at the collegiate level or even the professional level, we do have an audience and a fan base growing around us. It’s vital to use that platform for the right reasons.

Her Agenda: Tell me about Vaughan’s Block Back and your mission behind it.

Vaughan Anoa’i: Vaughn’s Block Back came into fruition my sophomore year of high school, right around the pandemic. The rest of our tournaments for that season had been canceled due to COVID. My club director was refunding all of the money that we had put down for those tournaments. I had conversations with her and heard that certain girls either couldn’t travel to certain tournaments or weren’t able to afford the uniform or shoes. I had an initial idea. I wanted to donate money back to the club so that it would be able to help any girls who wanted to travel or needed extra financial aid in terms of the uniforms and things.

After I made that first initial donation, I had an awakening. This is something that I could do not only within my club, but on a bigger scale within the Los Angeles area. I loved the fact that I could impact and touch so many girls who had always dreamed of playing club volleyball, but maybe weren’t able to in the past.

Her Agenda: You come from a very renowned family of athletes. How have they inspired you?

Vaughan Anoa’i: For me, I never had, and to this day, I have no desire to get into wrestling, which is the family business. I’ve always observed it and grown up around it as well. I’ve always admired the fearless and trailblazing mentality that a lot of them have, especially within, and it still is. We’ve risen into prominence in recent years, but the WWE is still a predominantly white industry.

The fact that they were able to come in at a time when it wasn’t very accepting was a path that only a few could fathom. They were still able to make a name for themselves. The Anoa’i name, in general, is a name that I carry with pride. It affirmed my sense of confidence and self-worth, which are things that I think women, try to downplay our accomplishments or don’t use our voice. I’ve always been in a position where I want to actively use my voice and continue evolving into the best version of myself.

Her Agenda: How do you balance your athletic career with your academic career at Georgetown?

Vaughan Anoa’i: I have always been in a position throughout my entire life, even before getting to college, where education and school have always come first. I’m also very grateful to my parents for allowing me to have an identity outside of volleyball because I think, as athletes, we are constantly practicing and competing and traveling, where it can feel like your entire life. I’ve found a different kind of identity in the classroom, and I’ve been able to thrive at an institution like Georgetown. It takes a lot of discipline and sacrifice, but I truthfully couldn’t have asked for a better college experience. I couldn’t have imagined just being a student. I’m grateful for all the lessons that volleyball has taught me in my life, but especially in these past three years of being in college.

Her Agenda: What are some ways that you de-stress or calm down when you feel like you’re getting to that breaking point?

Vaughan Anoa’i: I love going on walks and listening to podcasts. Specifically, I’ve been listening to the Mel Robbins podcast because I read her book entitled The Let Them Theory, and I absolutely loved it. I’m a huge fan; if anyone knows me, I love self-help and motivational books. I try to read a bunch every summer, so I would say reading as well is something that helps me de-stress.

I also love horseback riding. I feel at peace whenever I’m horseback riding, whether I’m by myself or with my mom and cousin, it’s just great. I’ve been trying to get better because I think a lot of people assume you just sit on the horse and that’s it, but there is a technique and form to it. 

Her Agenda: What is a piece of advice that has helped you through tough times?

Vaughan Anoa’i: I love motivational quotes. Sometimes my parents and I will send quotes that we find, whether it’s on social media or maybe someone else shared it with them. I would say my mantra for the past few years, ever since getting to college, has been:

“The way you do anything is the way you do everything.”

It’s one of those sayings, you have to repeat it a few times to yourself, where you grasp what it’s getting at. I think that’s a reminder of the importance of giving your all to everything. Never show up to something if your full self isn’t there and present. That’s something that I’ve carried with me of just holding myself to a higher standard and making sure that I’m giving full dedication and effort. That’s allowed me to thrive and succeed in certain areas even when I do reach the point of burnout or self-doubt. 

Her Agenda: Beyond volleyball, what are your goals for your future?

Vaughan Anoa’i: It has always been my dream, even before coming to Georgetown, to attend law school specifically within the human and civil rights realm. I am a firm believer that as a lawyer, regardless of what kind of law you practice, you do have the capacity to positively impact someone else’s life. Even from my initiative and my pledge, that feeling of being able to help and positively impact those around me, even communities that are far and wide, is still something incredibly meaningful to me. If I’m able to continue that in more of a professional setting after college and after law school, then that would be an absolute dream come true.

Her Agenda: How long has the law been an interest for you?

Vaughan Anoa’i: I would say since freshman year of high school. I remember watching When They See Us on Netflix. Learning more about the exonerated five, formerly known as the Central Park Five, was something that stuck with me even to this day. From that moment, a lot of the show is not only centered around their experience, but just the trial itself and what went down in the courtroom. 

Her Agenda: What is your hope for little girls, especially girls of color, who see you doing the work that you do? 

Vaughan Anoa’i: I hope it makes them feel that they, too, can do anything. I do believe that if there’s a will, there’s a way. Even for me, there were points in my journey, especially in getting to Georgetown, where I did suffer from self-doubt and anxiety, and didn’t know what my future would hold. There were so many other mentors and older teammates that I looked up to, especially those of color who blazed a path of their own and showed me that it’s possible. The fact that I’m able to be that same role model and mentor for young girls of color is an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I want them to know that even though there may be hurdles and bumps along the way, they will never deter them from ultimately reaching their dreams in the end.

Her Agenda: In terms of service projects, what is something you may want to touch on in the future? 

Vaughan Anoa’i: Now it’s focusing on my block back pledge, like I had mentioned earlier. I was able to expand it internationally to the South Pacific and American Samoa. Since I am approaching my last season playing volleyball at Georgetown, I am interested in potentially expanding this to the DMV area. More so on the East Coast. In total, I’ve been able to raise approximately $19,000 for the entirety of my pledge, which is an unreal number when I say it out loud. I’m hopeful to expand it to the DMV area just because it has been my home for the past three years, and DC will always have a special place in my heart.