Talum Smith honored with Wrestle Like A Girl’s A.R.J. Courage Award
Washington, D.C. – – Shortly after being founded in 2016, Wrestle Like A Girl created the Afsoon Roshanzamir Johnston Courage Award to honor Afsoon Roshanzamir Johnston, and to recognize athletes demonstrating great personal courage – the type of courage most admired by Afsoon herself. The award honors an athlete, male or female from any sport, that demonstrates action for what is right over what is easy and displays commitment to the sport, even when it puts the athlete at great personal risk.
The 2019 recipient of the A.R.J. Courage Award is Talum Smith. The award was presented Wednesday, October 30, at the 4th annual Wrestle Like A Girl Gala at the National Museum for Women in the Arts.
“To me wrestling is more than just a sport, it has given me the opportunity to challenge myself physically and mentally. Wrestling has been my mental escape for the world and pushed me to limits I didn’t know I could reach. Because of wrestling I was given the chance to further my education and become part of a team that became a family. To receive this award is very humbling and it inspires me to encourage other athletes, especially girls, that the sky really is the limit and we are more than capable to reach our dreams.” – Talum Smith
Talum is a senior at Ferrum College, where she is part of the women’s wrestling team. Talum has been working on parallel pursuits of excellence on and off the mat for years. She has wrestled with, and overcome, more adversity than a traditional college athlete at her age.
Talum was nominated for the A.R.J. Courage Award by Jessica Medina—the U.S. National Women’s Developmental Coach. “I nominated Talum for the award because of her perseverance on and off the mat,” said Medina. “She inspired me to be a better coach and inspired others around her.”
“Courage is trying to be outstanding,” said Talum. “It’s the mental push you have to give yourself regardless of your circumstances. It’s a belief in yourself and knowing that you will have a positive outcome, and if not that you will find a way to get an outcome that you want.”
Finding a way to get an outcome you want, that is Talum’s story.
Born in 1999, Talum grew up in Washington, D.C.
During middle school she tested her hand at chess and art club, but in eighth grade decided she would join wrestling. She was close to her brother’s weight and they made great practice partners.
The fact that she loved the sport did not erase the challenge of being the only girl on the team. Her locker room for changing was a closet, and she had to forgo building relationships with other girls her age the way the boys on her team were able to—she kept to herself most of the time.
Wrestling on an all-boys team in high school was not her largest struggle—it was her outlet. Talum was working at McDonalds out of necessity, battling instability at home and bouts of minor depression. She navigated different living situations, her days lacked structural support, and her routine consisted of class, work and practice. Talum’s upbringing was incredibly challenging.
As a senior in high school, Talum received a letter from Ferrum College that would shape her future in ways she hadn’t considered. In 2016, she graduated from Northumberland High School, and headed to Ferrum to wrestle while earning a college degree. In doing so, she moved away from her five siblings, and everything familiar, for a place she wasn’t sure she belonged.
What Talum found at Ferrum College was a second home. She found best friends and was able to share her experiences with peers who understood where she was coming from.
Talum struggled as a new student her freshman year. Still, she balanced a full-time job to pay tuition, and worked to maintain eligibility status as a student-athlete. But it was her sophomore year that she had to reach to new depths to persevere—Talum was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of 19.
She was incredibly sick, but still didn’t want her teachers or loved ones to worry. Without an ounce of self-pity, Talum continued working a full-time job and attending classes through treatment—carrying an oxygen tank with her on campus.
Talum spent the summer of 2018 at home, continuing treatment, working full time, and taking courses to bring her GPA up—because of course she was determined to graduate on time and get back on the mats.
With doctors approval, perseverance, and incredible effort, Talum competed for the first time again in January 2019.
Her story of courage doesn’t stop there. Talum has been thinking critically about how to apply her learnings from life and academics toward a change she cares deeply about while earning a degree in criminal justice.
Her degree has an emphasis in applied criminology, and it is the psychology and social work courses that interest her the most. Growing up in a house where the motto was, ‘don’t cry, be tough and get over it,’ Talum stresses the importance of mental health awareness. “You can’t just say get over it to everything in life. You have to sit down and find solutions while getting to the actual problem.”
Talum’s interest in this compelling coursework is strongly influenced by understanding her own experiences, and thinking about how she can support, and uplift, anyone going through the struggles she experienced as a child.
Talum said that now is the time to use her voice. “I want to help someone, and, as cliché as it sounds, just make the world a better place, especially for kids.”
Talum hopes to use this moment as a platform to, “talk about women’s empowerment, self-confidence, reaching for your dreams and going after whatever it takes to make you happy and feel accomplished.”
She has grown to recognize her determination and its value. “I know I am mentally strong and determined to reach my goals.”
Talum will continue to work full-time at Subway while she finishes her undergraduate degree, aims for the Dean’s List and works toward her goal of becoming an All-American wrestler. And, in the spring of 2020, Talum will graduate from Ferrum College, debt free.
Talum has wrestled with life as much as she has wrestled with competitors and teammates on the mats. Talum is resilient. Talum has been strong, consistently.
