Venus Williams earns business degree from Indiana University East

There's not much left for Venus Williams to accomplish in her storied tennis career. But off the court, Williams realized another dream: Earning a business degree.

There’s not much left for Venus Williams to accomplish in her storied tennis career.

But off the court, Williams realized another dream: Earning a business degree.

The five-time Wimbledon champion enrolled in the online degree completion program for Indiana University East four years ago.

And now, all that hard work has paid off.

“I’ve learned so much,” Williams said in an IU East press release. “It was always my dream to have a business degree, and I ended up going to art school so many times, but in the back of my head I felt like I needed the tools to be a better leader, to be a better planner, to be better at all of the things I wanted to do in my businesses because I’m so hands-on.”

During the diploma presentation, school officials said Williams dedication to her studies rivals her tenacity on the tennis court.

“Venus took concepts from the courses and tried them out in real life, and then she would want to learn more,” School of Business and Economics Dean David Frantz said about Williams. “Venus had a certain openness to learning that we cannot teach and we celebrate.”

Williams, who is the oldest woman currently competing at the U.S. Open, advanced to the second round Monday by defeating Monica Puig 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-3.

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