Victory Godah: Finding Meaning Through the Bakken Center
“The [Creating a Meaningful Life] class really stayed with me. It really lives inside you and is much more than passing and getting credit.”
June 23, 2026
Kylie Shafferkoetter
Victory Godah was named to win. A runner from the start, the 23-year-old from Delta State in Nigeria came to the University of Minnesota to excel at track and in school. Spoiler alert: it’s not easy.
“Reaching my academic and athletic goals can be overwhelming,” says Godah, a sprinter, who has her eyes on the Olympics. “I have very high goals and you have to have good grades to run at the professional level. That can cause a lot to go on in your mind. You can be hard on yourself.”
But Godah found a class that changed her whole approach to managing stress. The Center’s ‘CSPH 1204: Creating a Meaningful Life (CML)’, taught by Kit Breshears, made a big impact on the junior sports management major.
“The class helped me focus on my mental health and change the way I look at myself and my experiences as a student-athlete,” Godah says. “I used to push through everything good or bad without processing. Now I know how to slow down and handle emotion during my season.”
The CML course teaches students to create daily practices that focus on meaning, as well as set long-term mental health and wellbeing goals that will hopefully contribute to growth throughout their lives. With tools like self-compassion, meditation, finding belonging, and community engagement, students learn healthy coping strategies as well as stress and emotional management.
“I carried a lot of things from the class into my daily life. Self-reflection, journaling and checking in with myself mentally help me as a student-athlete,” Godah said. “I learned to give myself more grace in sports. It’s easy to be your own biggest critic. Now I can see that some days are better than others and that’s ok.”
Godah did not give much thought to mental health prior to the class, but knows the skills she learned are now essential to her wellbeing.
“This class really stayed with me. It really lives inside you and is much more than passing and getting credit,” she said. “If someone is dealing with pressure, this class teaches you how to handle it. It’s definitely worth taking.”
Running has always been Godah’s passion. She was the fastest in her high school, and was ranked fifth in her state of nearly eight million people after running the 100 meters in 11.2 seconds.
She is a big fan of Minnesota and is thrilled to run on the UMN track and field team. “I love my team and this community. I really value the connections I have here,” Godah said.
In addition to the Olympics and a professional running career, Godah hopes to return to her home country to help other athletes navigate their careers.
