written by Augusta University student Jaylan Hayes
Je'Bria Fullwood came to Augusta University fresh out of high school in Greensboro, North Carolina. Fullwood is now a senior and a lot has happened over the course of four years.
Even though Fullwood has been at AU her whole college career there was one point in time she thought about transferring.
"During my first year I didn't think I wanted to be here anymore. We had a different head coach at the time. I was just struggling in different ways, and I just wasn't sure about it," Fullwood said.
But she pushed through and is glad she ended up staying as Augusta became a second home to her.
Fullwood came in planning to major in kinesiology and thought that was going to be the career path for her. But like many students she ended up changing it. Once she started taking other courses she fell in love with sociology and changed her major to health, society, and policy.
By the time she graduates in May of 2025, Fullwood will have a research paper published with her name on it as well as an internship working with a patient family care center.
"I told my advisor when we finish the paper, I'm sending it to everybody. Maybe I'll even frame it," Fullwood said.
She still isn't sure where life will take her after graduation but does think she'll move back to North Carolina. She wants to play basketball professionally, preferably in Spain, but is still deciding on what her next step will be.
"I don't plan on doing any big moving until I figure out like what I'm going to do after college, and then I'll go from there," she said.
When it came to starting college, academically Fullwood felt good about it due to the rigorous schedule she was used to from high school. But it was a bit of a different story when college basketball was added in.
"One of my biggest struggles was understanding and learning the plays because there's so many of them. Physically I was there with everyone. It was just trying to catch on to all of those plays and understanding how to play my game that I had issues with at first," she said.
Fullwood didn't start playing basketball until eighth grade after watching her younger brother play. While she wishes she could go back in time to start her career earlier she's a big believer of all things happen for a reason.
When she has the time Fullwood's hobbies include reading, writing poetry, and napping. She has also been obsessed with Hello Kitty since childhood and she doesn't see this obsession going away anytime soon.
One thing most of the student body probably knows about Fullwood is that she was the AU 2024 Homecoming queen.
"I wanted to be more involved on campus because my first two years, I was just in my bubble trying to figure things out. But once I saw the opportunity, I was like, I'm going to take it," she said.
Fullwood believes this has opened so many doors for her and now she's more active on campus because of it. It was one of the best decisions she's made for herself.
The whole process was fun and exciting for her with the most stress coming from the day of the announcement of the winner.
"I just had tears and just this immense feeling of gratitude, because if it wasn't for my friends and family, I wouldn't have won that thing by myself," she said.
She also gives credit to the student body for voting for her and is so thankful for them. Fullwood hopes that she's always leaving a positive impact on the people she meets.
"I want to give off the most genuine, authentic version of myself, each and every time," she said.
Fullwood is grateful for her family's support and friends by her side for her last year at AU. She's excited to see where life will take her this year and after graduation.
Women's basketball schedule
