AUSTIN, Texas — A first-time athletic director is breaking barriers while leading her program through the pandemic.

Dr. Monique Carroll became the first Black woman to lead Huston-Tillotson athletics last March. Carroll was immediately met with a shutdown and campus without student-athletes.

“When I got here on March 16, the students were on spring break and never came back,” Dr. Carroll said. “It was interesting to me ‘cause I’m trying to build relationships with the athletes and even the staff at this point.”

HT didn’t participate in any sports in her first year, but Dr. Carroll doesn’t see that as a negative.

“Some people may look at it as ‘Oh man, ya’ll weren’t playing sports,’ but I look at it as I got a whole entire year to sit in the chair and really plan and get ready,” Dr. Carroll said. “So when the fall does come we’ll be able to go really fast. Faster then we would’ve been able to go, if we were trying to play sports at the same time.”

Carroll spent time working at Prairie View A&M and the Southwest Athletic Conference before coming to HT. She helped Prairie View rake in $17.8 million back in 2017.

She’s had chances to take jobs at schools outside the HBCU system, but feels schools like HT are where she has the biggest impact.

“Lift as you rise. Everybody can get to the top, but like a celebrity, you make it and forget everybody else. If I’m gone tomorrow, who’s the next Monique Carroll that can sit in the chair?” Dr. Carroll said. “I could go [to the University of Texas] and do a good job, but my impact wouldn’t be the same.”

Dr. Carroll is now working on welcoming her student-athletes back and hopeful for a year filled with sports.