Janice Pettyjohn has become the first woman to be hired for a full-time football position at Howard University, her alma mater. The 22-year-old, nicknamed Hellraiser, has come a long way since her younger days, when she would spend most of her time focusing on her art.

“Ironically, I’ve always been artsy girl. So, painting, art, I still do to this day, that’s what my hobbies surrounded,” Pettyjohn told the Burlington County Times.

Although she had interest in sports as well, the New Jersey native faced health issues as a child. Still, Pettyjohn found ways to stay involved in extracurricular activities at school.

“No one wants to come right home after school; you want something to do,” she said, according to the Burlington County Times. “So I started managing the basketball team in seventh grade. Then I did it in eighth grade and it ended up just becoming something that I loved without realizing that I love because it just became second nature.”

Coach Janice Pettyjohn!!!

At almost 23, the Rancocas Valley Regional High School alumna is reaching new heights for womankind, becoming the first woman hired for a full-time football position at Howard University. pic.twitter.com/wMv0Zcz8Fh
— MACCEXCLUSIVESAPPAREL (@maccexclusives2) April 6, 2022

Janice Pettyjohn

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