Black History 365: Octavia “Opi” Payne
Octavia Payne is a member of the USA Ultimate National Team.
My name is Octavia Payne, but most people call me Opi. I’ve been playing ultimate for 10 years, starting at the University of Pennsylvania. I’ve been on four different club teams, including Washington, DC Scandal with whom I won two USA Ultimate national titles. I also won a championship with the 2013 U.S. World Games team and the U.S. Women’s National Team at the 2016 World Ultimate and Guts Championships in London.
When I’m not playing ultimate, I spend a lot of time cooking. I also love rock climbing. My day job is with a non-profit called World Resources Institute. My group helps fight deforestation using satellites.
Fun Facts about Octavia:
- Japanese is my first language.
- George Stubbs and I have the same exact birthday. My little half brother and I also have the same birthday (popular day apparently!).
- I’m an introvert and I hate thinking of fun facts about myself.