English Professor Discovers Her New Passion is Boxing

 

by Kysa Daniels

 

Georgia Perimeter College English professor Amber Brooks long has been fascinated by the sport of boxing. After all, she’s heard stories over the years about her grandfather and uncles jousting in their youth.

 

Yet, the 33-year-old educator never imagined that, as a female, she would be training to compete someday.

 

This changed last fall when a friend invited her to try her hand at the sport.

 

“I had not always wanted to box, mostly because it didn’t occur to me that there was indeed a women’s amateur boxing circuit,” Brooks says.

 

“However, I loved it when I tried it.”

 

That love grew into somewhat of a passion for Brooks, who now trains most, if not all, days of the week.

 

 

‘There’s nothing like going six rounds on a heavy bag’

 

During a presentation at the Georgia Women’s Conference sponsored by GPC’s Diversity Alliance in March, Brooks and her trainer Phil Oliver extolled the benefits of boxing.

 

“It teaches you to control your emotions, and in life, we have to do the same thing, right?” Oliver asked audience members.

 

Perhaps, it is Brooks who can answer this best.

 

The Atlanta native embraced boxing during a period when she was dealing with a lot of stress and “bad habits,” such as not getting enough sleep and exercise and eating an unhealthy diet.  Boxing, therefore, became the solution to a problem, she says.

 

But, she didn’t expect just how holistic sparring would become for her.

“The physical benefits—losing weight, building strength, improving coordination and stamina—are staggering,” Brooks says.

 

“Also, I joke that ‘boxing is my therapy’; there’s nothing like going six rounds on a heavy bag to help release stress or calm your mind.”

 

Brooks won at least one convert while speaking at the women’s conference. Sydney Whittaker, a DeKalb Early College Academy student at GPC, listened attentively as Brooks talked about the sharp rise in female boxers during the past two decades.

 

The English instructor also shared quotes from one of her favorite authors, Joyce Carol Oates, who has written books on the subject of women boxers. The presentation ended with Brooks and Oliver leading attendees in an exercise on boxing technique, including jabs, defense slips and hook combos.

 

“I definitely got a lot out of the presentation,” 17-year-old Whittaker says. “I think it’s so important to be able to empower women by encouraging them to be involved in these things.”

 

 

‘Relationships and helping students navigate life’

 

As dedicated as Brooks is to perfecting her one-two punch, she’s equally committed to teaching at Georgia Perimeter. While a college student herself, Brooks floated in and out of various majors—including chemical engineering and computer science—before deciding that her heart was elsewhere.

 

“So, no, teaching was not always the plan,” the five-year GPC veteran admits.

 

“After getting my BA in English, I went to graduate school. At grad school, I found that I did very much enjoy teaching.”

 

Brooks ranks teachers among the biggest influencers in her life. Because of this, she holds in high regard the charge of instructing students.

 

“It’s not just a job,” she insists. “It’s about relationships and helping students navigate life.”

 

 

‘Writing was always what I wanted to do’

 

In addition to her classroom instruction and boxing pursuits, Brooks is mother to a young son, Keegan, who is 9 years old. “He’s an avid reader and I’m trying to instill in him a love for lifelong fitness,” she says.

 

Brooks also is an award-winning writer, currently looking to publish a literary fiction book entitled “Ash,” a contemporary Gothic novel set in the 1980s. She continues to serve as the nonfiction editor for GPC’s literary magazine, The Chattahoochee Review, as well.

 

“Writing was always what I wanted to do, even when I didn’t grant it attention,” she says.

 

Brooks’ work has appeared in The Southeast Review, The Arkansas Review, Orange Coast Review and The Eudora Welty Newsletter, among other publications. A couple of years before coming to Georgia Perimeter, she won third place in the Playboy Magazine College Fiction Contest for a short story (from a male perspective) about infidelity and redemption.

 

It’ll be a while before Brooks is prepared to put her boxing skills in the spotlight as an amateur fighter. Until then, she will stay light on her toes—balancing her pursuit of excellence in the classroom and the ring.

 

“Right now, I’m taking it day by day, putting my trust in my routine, my effort and the guidance of my trainer.”