Inspired by Archie, this alumna lives paying forward

Amanda Watters Fields ’12, ’14 MA has never met Archie Griffin, but she’d like to thank him if the former Ohio State athletes ever cross paths. “He had a profound impact on my life,” says Fields, who lives in Sharpsburg, Georgia, about 40 miles from Atlanta. 

His influence started when Fields received a scholarship from the Archie Griffin Endowment Fund for Olympic Sports. At the time, she was captain of the Ohio State pistol team, a role she held from 2010 to 2012. She was an All-America selection as a senior. 

“The scholarship meant a huge deal for me,” says Fields, who joined the Buckeyes as a walk-on after moving to the Columbus campus from Ohio State Newark. “It meant I could really focus on my studies and train and practice for competitions instead of having to work two or three jobs.” 

Griffin’s impact, however, went beyond the scholarship to a moment when Fields heard the football legend give a speech to an Ohio State student group. “He just spoke so eloquently and passionately about paying forward,” Fields recalls. “I believe in the ripple effect of sharing and empowering others. Archie’s passion for helping and empowering others by giving back—while also striving to go after your dream—was something that resonated with me. Hearing him speak encouraged me to give back.”  

Fields began volunteering regularly as an Ohio State athlete. She read to children who received books from the Columbus nonprofit 2nd & 7, and she tutored second-grade students who had literacy challenges. 

“I really became more interested in working with those individuals,” Fields says. “I found that Ohio State had a Master of Arts program in special education to teach deaf students—which many schools do not—so I changed my major to education.” She was previously studying genetics. 

Later, as an Ohio State graduate student, Fields continued her volunteer work with time at a literacy clinic. “I felt that it was important,” she says, “that if somebody’s giving me a chance, giving me an opportunity, then I need to pay it forward as well.” 

Fields, now a married mother of three, is in her second year as assistant principal at Fayette County Public Schools, south of Atlanta. Her job includes duties as a special educator working with deaf students, something she previously did full time in that district for eight years. 

“One of our missions that we instill in all our students is the idea of paying forward,” Fields says. “That’s a huge part of my leadership. We challenge all our students to find ways to give back, and we provide them many different opportunities to do so in our community. It extends that ripple effect from myself to them.” 

Told about Fields’ story and how her students are now paying forward, Griffin smiled and responded: “Wow. That makes the scholarship come alive to me.”