Forging First: Aniya Warren
November 05, 2025 | General News, Volleyball
My Impact, My Community
“Forging Firsts” is a series that shares the stories of individuals who have accomplished remarkable achievements in their journeys. Each story, talks about when they became the “first” whether that is breaking records, facing challenges, or creating new paths. The series explores how these experiences helped them grow personally, uncovering new strengths and depths within themselves. “Forging Firsts” highlights the meaningful impact they have and how they’re inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.
On the volleyball court, freshman libero Aniya Warren’s athleticism shapes the back row as she communicates with her back row defense and contagious energy. Off the court, Warren has found a unique way of communicating herself — through storytelling.
Writing and journaling always provided a safe space for Warren, serving as an outlet to express her thoughts and feelings about anything and everything. But in the summer before her freshman campaign at Wisconsin, with an extra push and a little help from her mom, the realization that the words in her journals could be something bigger and impactful to those around her began to settle in.
“I want to be an inspiration. And if I can, my mom was like, ‘Why not?’ In any way possible that I can help someone in any way, shape or form, that's what I want to do.”Aniya Warren
Initially, Warren took her mom’s note that the personal content in her journal could be inspiring to heart, but laughed off the idea of publishing a book – “I was like, she’s crazy, I’m not about to actually publish a book,” Warren said.
But that initial “why not” became fuel for Warren to commit to publishing her first-ever children’s book, “I Am Human.” The book works with the theme that was fostered in an activity with the Wisconsin volleyball team, where Warren describes noting, “I’m an athlete, but I’m human,” and “I’m an athlete, but I’m so much more.”
To Warren, the three words are something she says often — a mantra that comes “from the heart.”
“It’s something I say all the time — ‘I am human,’” Warren said. “We’re all human, and we’re going to make mistakes. So I kept on going with that type of message, and it started to sink in.”
Warren is a worthwhile narrator. She’s not just a writer with a published children’s book, with another perhaps on the way. She’s not just the No. 1 ranked libero in the nation for the class of 2025, nor is she just a student at UW-Madison aspiring to enrich her learning at the business school. She’s much more — she’s human, and the words in the book are a reflection of that.
“I strive to be perfect, and I want to be the best ever, at anything. And sometimes, reading it [the book] is just a reminder to take a deep breath,” Warren continued. “I’m not going to be perfect. Everything’s not going to go my way. Sometimes I’m going to make the same mistakes, and I’m going to get it, but I have to just keep going and keep trying until I get it.”
The book provided a space to accept that mistakes are natural and should be welcomed in the pursuit of greatness, not only as a reminder to herself but also as a theme that she hopes to inspire others to live by.
“I feel like we forget it so much on a day-to-day basis. I still forget it sometimes. And it’s just like, sometimes, relax, take a deep breath. It’s not the end of the world,” Warren said.
Not only did the process prove helpful to Warren as a reminder of her own humanity and facing her mistakes head-on, but it has also impacted those around her. Seeing the final product come together proved worthwhile for the direct impact it has had on inspiring others, noting her cousins as a source of inspiration.
“My parents come from the background of the Chicago suburbs, and I have a lot of cousins in those areas, and I want to show them they can do this,” Warren said.
One of Warren’s younger cousins, she noted as an example, is “always keeping the book” on her, showing it off to anyone she can.
“It really has helped me, and it's helped cousins in my family,” Warren said. “When my cousin told me the other day, she’s like, I go around walking with your book. And that really hit, because she’s so inspired and thinks I’m this whole big celebrity, and I wasn’t even gonna do this.”
The children’s book has proven to help others going through things in sports or even in life in general. To be able to show others that they can overcome any obstacles that life throws their way is at the core of Warren’s work.
“People that look like me, growing up to be similar to where they want to play the sport. Growing up, even in my family, it’s a big deal about going to college or even being in the Big Ten,” Warren said. “A lot of people in our culture sometimes don’t get to do this type of stuff, or believe that they can because of where they come from.”
In sharing her story, an incredible feat that she had kept quiet about for a long time, Warren also received a lot of positive feedback from her teammates.
“Alicia (Andrew) actually told me, ‘This is really good.’ And Mimi (Colyer) said, ‘I didn't expect it to be that good, but that's actually really good.’ And that hit,” Warren said.
Warren, who might have another book on the way, has definitely asserted herself as an inspiration to her community and a role model both on and off the court.
“I definitely want to inspire people that are young, growing up in the sport, who want to do these things. Who also want to be a student athlete, want to go into the business school — they can do all these things. No matter who you are, where you come from, what you look like, you can do it. You just put your mind to something. You stay focused. You keep going at it.”Aniya Warren
