Venus Williams received her diploma, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Indiana University East.
The 35 year old former World No. 1 tennis player, now ranked No.11, completed her online courses at IU East this summer.
Last August 15, Williams visited the campus of Richmond, Ind., for the first time to collect her degree before jetting off to Western & Southern Open for the U.S Open, according to Fox Sports. This would be her second degree, as Williams earned an associate degree in fashion design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale back in 2007.
She has a myriad of businesses, including her own clothing line, EleVen. But although she has a lot of experience when it comes to business, Williams still admitted she learned many things from the classes which she can use for her ventures.
During the IU East press release, Williams said, "I've learned so much. 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."
Indiana University East participates in a partnership program with the WTA and Women's Tennis Benefits Association to provide online degree to the players on the WTA tour, according to INDY STAR.
Apparently, Williams is the first player to graduate from the program. There are actually 15 other players enrolled.
During the graduation, Williams toured the campus.
"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, during diploma presentation. "Venus had a certain openness to learning that we cannot teach and we celebrate. The drive and the tenacity that Venus shows on the tennis court, we saw in her studies."
