Despite Being a Successful Track and Field Athlete, Keturah Orji Opened Up on Her Unconventional Career Choices

New Jersey-born and raised Keturah Orji is no stranger to success. The Olympic triple jumper went from being a Level 8 gymnast to making her name in track and field while earning her finance degree. The American record holder with 11 U.S. National Championship wins is once again ruling her sport.

Juggling both finance and athletics, the 28-year-old is aiming for a special exit from her sport this year. As she prepares for what may be a final Summer Olympics appearance, the veteran shared the one unachieved feat in her career.

Keturah Orji recalls academic crossroads

The former Georgia Bulldogs athlete is now getting ready for the Olympic Games in Paris, where she has a chance to make history as the first female American to win a medal in triple jump. Before heading to the US Olympic trials in June, Keturah Orji stopped to speak with the ‘Financial Counseling & Planning Education’ channel on YouTube, full of anticipation and resolve. Speaking on her college years, Orji confessed, “I feel like I always wanted to major in criminal justice like growing up.”

The two-time Olympian went on to discuss her reason behind taking the financial path, and said, “I took different classes and started to see the different requirements for each degree I looked at the financial planning major and that really appealed to me and I didn’t know much about finances. I took the intro to personal finance class and loved it.”

Last year she began AFC studies and shed light on the same saying, “I had heard about the AFC or like accredited financial counseling program through my professors at Georgia while I was still in school. And I remember looking it up, like doing research.” Seeing the number of hours needed yet back then, she thought to take it up in the future.

Being practically fond of financial stability, Orji, even while attending Georgia, saved the majority of the money that the track athletes receive when competing. Taking about that part of her life, she stated, “I’ve always just been someone that kind of just saves my money,” she said further adding, “I didn’t know anything else to save, save, save, don’t go into debt.”

Orji holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgia in kinesiology and studied accounting at DeVry University, which she claims was funded by a program run by the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Keturah Orji began blogging on financial topics in between training sessions and competitions before the 2020-21 Olympics and continues to do so while preparing for her road to Paris.

The memorable Georgia University days divulged

Keturah Orji pays meticulous attention to everything, especially in her careful financial planning. The American triple jump record holder is a pioneer in the financial industry, where she herself is the brand. She started budgeting for her small wedding ceremony and saved every penny she could during her college years. Professional overtures wise, she told 11 Alive, “Georgia is really the foundation of where I became who I am today…I mean, that’s where I broke the American record.”

“Knowing that, I’m one of the best jumpers in America, and I’m really one of the first people to do this in my event,” Orji confidently declared. As Keturah Orji addressed her aspirations, she wants to “retire on a high note,” thereby reflecting on her time as a seasoned professional and her early days as a collegiate athlete at the University of Georgia.

Read More “Olympic Dream Was Done”: Being a Multi-Sport Athlete, Keturah Orji Opens Up on the ‘Heartbreak’ Accompanying the New Move