Student Profile: Dezarea Duckworth

Exercise Science major Dezarea Duckworth hails from Bryant, Arkansas, where she attended high school before accepting a basketball scholarship at WPU.

“I like to sing and hang out with my friends,” says Dezarea, now a senior at WPU. “When I am in Arkansas, I like to climb Pinnacle Mountain and swim, too.”

Basketball brought Dezarea to Penn, but she soon found herself surrounded by friends by joining Team Christ and being part of the worship team.

“My most memorable experience so far at William Penn has been deciding to give my life to Christ and change my life,” she says. “I really think making great friends is one of my great achievements here, and building relationships with new and different people from so many different places.”

While laying the foundation for friendships that will last a lifetime, Dezarea found that the atmosphere at Penn also helped transform her academically and professionally.

“I have participated in an internship in the training room my entire junior year,” she explains. “I would travel with the trainers sometimes to football games, helping them prepare the football players with tape, water, ice, or anything that was necessary for the players.”

After graduation, Dezarea intends to travel to Texas, where she will enroll in a nursing program to become a nurse practitioner.

Dean of Students, Dr. Noel Stahle says, “Dezarea is a focused, deliberate, front-row student who is conscientious and caring. She represents the best of what it means to be a William Penn student!”