Cameroon Native Thrives In Tennis

When Herita Akamah was growing up in Cameroon, she didn’t know the luxuries of youth that many American kids are accustomed to such as organized sports and expensive lessons. Childhood games were simple, such as hopscotch, jump ropes made out of old tires, and dodgeball made out of balled up plastic wrap. If she had enough food for the day, that was considered a good day. Tennis was the furthest thing from her mind, but education was high on the list.

“Education was a must in my mum’s mind, even though she had none,” Akamah explained. Her mother said she could go to school hungry, but she still had to go to school. Her parents had saved for college and she attended the University of Buea in Cameroon. This is where she first picked up a tennis racquet in a sports 101 class, but had no formal lessons. Meanwhile, she was able to leave Cameroon and further her education in the United States via the Diversity Visa Lottery, which wasn’t easy to come by.

“Despite the very low odds of my name being selected out of the millions of people who try around the world, I was selected. My family did everything they could for me to go through the process.”

After first living in Michigan, she ended up at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she began working on her master’s degree in accounting. After trying to play basketball, she decided to pick up the sport of tennis again and started as a sub in a women’s league at Woods Tennis Center. 

“It was evident from the start that she was going to be a good player,” said La Vonne Uffelman, league coordinator. “She had great movement on the court and was a natural in knowing where she needed to be. It was not long before her percentage was near the top for the groups.”

Akamah climbed up the various levels of the USTA ladder. She moved to Oklahoma to work on her PhD, and then to Colorado before coming back to Nebraska again. During all her moves, she would find a way to fit tennis into her schedule. 

“Tennis lets me instantly make friends as soon as I get to a new city,” she explained. “All I need to do is look for a club, give my name, join a league, and boom, I’m part of the community. I use tennis as my exercise and therapy. I am usually energized to work, and much more productive after playing tennis.”

When she came back to Nebraska to teach at UNL’s School of Business, Dr. Akamah played in the 4.0 USTA leagues. It didn’t take her long to move up to the 4.5 level. Uffelman was not surprised. 

“I knew she would not stay at that level for very long,” Uffelman said. “She had great athletic ability on the court, strong serves and court sense. She always had  a smile and warm greeting. Any team she is on is stronger with her.”