It's rare when Abu Kamara is able to sit down for an extended period of time.

On this day, he has the opportunity to take a few moments between classes to discuss his experiences as a Washington State student-athlete.

A hurdler on the Washington State track and field team, Kamara describes a typical day for him.

"I try to have my classes early in the day and track workouts at the end of the day," Kamara explains. "After classes I have some form of treatment, then go to practice or the weight room. After that I head home, have dinner, stretch, and then dive in with homework for the next three or four hours until I get too tired. Then I go to sleep, and start over.

"I've learned it is all about preparing," adds Kamara, who finished 12th in the high hurdles at the 2017 Pac-12 Championships. "As long as you prepare ahead of time nothing will be a surprise."

Born in Sierra Leone, Kamara moved to the state of Washington with his family in 2006. He came to WSU from Kent-Meridian High School.

A redshirt senior on a partial scholarship, Kamara earned his psychology degree last year and is working on a second post-bachelor degree this year in social sciences with an emphasis in political science and business administration.

And if the demands of being of student-athlete are not enough to fill his schedule, Kamara has sought challenges beyond the track and classroom.

He serves as President of the SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee), attends numerous Pac-12 and NCAA conferences representing WSU, and also recently served on the hiring committee for Director of Athletics Pat Chun.

Kamara first became involved with the SAAC when, during a team meeting his freshman year, he was volunteered to be a representative.

"One of the upperclassmen threw my name out and I was sitting in the back saying, 'What is SAAC?'" Kamara recalls with a smile. 

"I went to a few meetings and thought this was definitely something I was interested in."

While serving as the men's track SAAC representative Kamara had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco to represent WSU at the fall Pac-12 SALT (Student-Athlete Leadership Team) meetings.

"It was there I was inspired to do more with SAAC and take on more responsibility," he says. "I felt like after being around all these people who are just as involved with their SAAC, I could try to do more besides passing along information.

"I really made a point to really dive all the way in"

As SAAC president, Kamara is focusing his attention on connecting the student-athlete body with the general student population.

"The athletic department does such a great job of providing literally everything we could possible need so it's hard to even think about going anywhere else," Kamara says.

"When I get out of class I come straight to Bohler to work, get food, change and go to practice," he explains. "Whatever I need to do it is going to be right here for me. It was getting to the point I felt I wasn't connected to the general student body."

Expressing his thoughts to his teammates, Kamara discovered they felt the same way. He then sought feedback from other student-athletes and received similar viewpoints.

Knowing how his fellow student-athletes felt, Kamara inquired with other campus organization leaders and heard a similar theme, one that "athletes just do their own thing."

Kamara worked with campus leaders with the goal of getting people to attend athletic events while also making athletes aware of other resources available on campus to them, including organizations and clubs they can be involved in.

For example, at the student-athlete welcome barbecue in August, Kamara and the SAAC invited clubs and organizations to set up tables and provide information.

While acknowledging more works needs to be done to strengthen the connection, Kamara has seen progress made.

"People know each other a little better and there's a platform for that to go further."

In addition to his duties as SAAC President, Kamara continues to attend Pac-12 and NCAA conferences as a student-athlete representative for WSU.

This past fall, Kamara once again traveled to San Francisco for the Pac-12 SALT meetings.

"They do a great job using the experiences of the student-athletes and using our voice to shape the way they go about doing things within the conference," Kamara explains. "That is a really good thing."

In January, Kamara traveled to Indianapolis as part of a Pac-12 student-athlete delegation for an NCAA Conference, an experience Kamara described as "very rewarding."

"The best part about it was seeing it at a larger scale," he says. "At the NCAA level there are so many different conferences represented and I am able to hear perspectives of student-athletes from other conferences."

Kamara also served on the Athletic Director search committee and participated in the interview process that led to the hiring of Pat Chun.

"That was a great learning experience," Kamara says of his time on the athletic director search committee. "One of the things I enjoyed most about it is I learned more about being in an interview and how to conduct yourself. Preparation was a big thing."

Whether he is preparing for a race, an exam, performing his duties as SAAC President, or a future job interview, Kamara has relished every opportunity he's earned during his time at WSU.

And he credits the assistance the scholarship provides for being able to take his redshirt senior year and the opportunities this year has afforded him.

"I don't know if I would have stayed for another year if not on partial scholarship," he says. "It's pretty expensive being in college and it certainly helped out a lot.

"It's very important to keep financing scholarships for student-athletes," he explains. "A lot of student-athletes have a similar mindset, which is we're going to be as successful as we want to be. There's nothing that's going to stop us as long as we have the opportunity and we're given the platform and resources we need.

"We're willing to put in the work. We just need an opportunity."


The Cougar Athletic Fund (CAF), the fundraising arm of the Washington State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, is committed to providing the resources for a world class experience in academics and athletics for over 500 student-athletes.  For more information about the Cougar Athletic Fund, please visit cougarathleticfund.com or call 1-877-IMA-COUG.