Through our connections at NASA, we were able to interview Sunita Williams '87 while she currently lives and works at the International Space Station orbiting Earth. Suni was captain of our Navy women's swimming team during her 1/C year at the Naval Academy and was also a walk-on runner for our women's cross country team. Recently, Suni Williams was selected for the USNA Distinguished Graduate Award and will be honored during the DGA medal ceremony on March 21, 2025.
Our Letterwinner staff was excited, and a bit shocked, to get a phone call directly from Suni at the Space Station. She only had a 20-minute window for phone calls and after her first call to catch up with her husband, Michael Williams '87, she saved 15 minutes to interview with the Navy Letterwinners Association:
Letterwinners: You were a two-sport athlete at the Naval Academy in swimming and cross country. What lessons or skills from your time as a Navy letterwinner directly apply to your career as an officer and an astronaut?
Williams: Being an athlete at the Naval Academy forces you to be better at time management, which has definitely helped me in my career. You also learn to be a part of a team, which is a critical component for succeeding in the military; whether it's a squadron, SEAL team, or working with a group of astronauts, that teamwork is critical to the success of the mission. No one is a shining star on a team. You have to learn how to work together and being an athlete at Navy creates that small unit bond that prepares you for the Fleet.
Letterwinners: What’s your most memorable experience as a Navy student-athlete?
Williams: Well, beating Army is always good; you always remember those wins! Being elected team captain for the swimming team was pretty cool too! It was a huge honor for me and it really helped develop my leadership skills.
Letterwinners: In 2007, you were the first person to run a marathon in space. Are you still running to stay in shape at the space station? Any other planned marathons on the horizon?
Williams: I don’t think another marathon is on the horizon for me, but working out at the space station is very important to help keep our muscle mass and bone density. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve focused more on interval training and CrossFit workouts. The intervals give me a great workout in a shorter period of time and my squats and deadlifts carry over to our mission-critical work here at the space station.
Letterwinners: Space missions often involve working in high-pressure environments. How did your military training and athletic background help you manage stress and make decisions under pressure?
Williams: Compartmentalization was a big lesson I learned at the Naval Academy which has definitely helped me as an astronaut. There is a lot going on at the Naval Academy, so you learn to multitask. When it’s time to focus on something important, you really have to put all the distractions aside. I didn’t always have good grades, but I couldn’t let my academic stresses follow me into the pool on the swim team. You have to stay focused because your teammates are depending on you.
Letterwinners: What was your favorite class at the Naval Academy?
Williams: It’s going to sound strange, but it was Thermodynamics. I had a great professor and the class focused on unit analysis and working problems out one step at a time. I also liked all my professional classes, including Celestial Navigation. I was not great at Astronomy, but learning how you could look at the stars for navigation was amazing, like finding the Southern Cross and how it leads to the South Pole. It was just awesome!
Letterwinners: If you could go back and give midshipman Sunita Pandya (later Williams) some words of advice, what would you say?
Williams: I would say 'Don’t worry so much!' My academics weren’t stellar, but I learned the basic concepts and I realized that I shouldn’t worry about the little things so much. It’s important to do your best, especially for your team, but keep yourself well-rounded and just graduate. Everything else will take care of itself.
Letterwinners: What’s your plan for your first big meal when you return to Earth?
Williams: I would love a simple grilled cheese. We have pre-made souffles up here, but I can't just put together something on two pieces of bread or grill something up. So, a grilled cheese would be great, maybe with bacon and a tomato!
Overall, athletics has been a huge part of my life. At the Academy, I remember interacting with the plebes on the team much differently than in the Hall. The team was a safe place to be yourself and it created another great way to bond at the Naval Academy. It was an amazing experience and is part of everything I have done in my career.
To learn more about Sunita Williams and here career at NASA, please refer to her NASA biography.
