Dr. Brittany Collins graduated from Stivers High School in 2003. During her high school career, she played varsity basketball all four years. In her first year, she was an All City Honorable Mention player. Over the next three years, she would earn All-City First Team Honors, be named as Player of the Week once, and be among the top 3-point and free throw shooters in the area. She also played AAU basketball with the Dayton Lady Y-Nets.
After graduating from Stivers, she carried her undying passion for basketball and an insatiable thirst for knowledge to the University of Cincinnati. There, she transitioned from player to fan as she rooted on the Cincinnati Bearcats, while focusing on her academics as a Darwin T. Turner scholar. After declaring Communications as her major, she focused on becoming an educator within the field. In 2007, she earned a Bachelor’s degree with High Honors from the University of Cincinnati. In 2009, she earned a Master’s degree in the same field and from the same University. From 2009-2013, she attended Texas A&M University and earned her Doctorate. Collins has been an Assistant Professor of Communication at Saginaw (MI) Valley State University since 2013. She has taught many college students throughout her education career at the University of Cincinnati, Texas A&M University, Blinn (TX) College, and University of Houston-Downtown. Dr. Collins has also self-published a book to help first-generation college students navigate college life.
Collins credits her successes to the ongoing love and support of her Tomlinson and Collins family. She credits her parents Jo A. (Tomlinson) Collins and, the late, Robert L. Collins for her competitive spirit on the court and in the classroom. She also credits best friends, Seante’ Metcalf, and Monica Ford, and the late Shirley (Myrick) Daniels for making sure she continued to play basketball year in and year out at Stivers. She is also grateful for the ongoing encouragement from Coaches Roland Parks, Julianne Franklin, Torrance Hill, and Eric Bradley. She is particularly grateful to the Lady Tigers biggest and most consistent fan, Mrs. Carmen Turner. Lastly, she gives thanks to the staff of the former Bomberger Center and the numerous opportunities provided for young women, in particular, to further hone and develop through basketball. Special thanks to the Bomberger leadership, Vidia-Kisha Foster David Corbitt, and so many others.
