“No one likes getting their nails done more than I do. As a matter of fact I go every four days to get a manicure and every seven days for a pedicure,” says tennis superstar Serena Williams, who recently surprised fans by enrolling in a Palm Beach, Fla., nail school. As she explains in her blog, “I had a brilliant idea to get certified to be a nail tech. Besides the fact that I am coming out with a nail collection from a company called HairTech, I thought ‘Serena this is a no brainer.’ Immediately after I came home from the Australian Open I researched some schools and enrolled in a course that allowed me to complete 240 hours.” Williams intends to complete the course in a year, rather than the usual six weeks.

In the blog, Williams made it clear she’s bringing her A-game to class, staying up the night before to study for a few hours so she could get ahead. She also came prepared. “The night before my class I made sure I had all my tools, books, and gear organized. I went to the Hello Kitty store and bought plenty of containers as well as a backpack to keep my belongings,” she wrote. “Not only do I plan on being the top student to graduate from my nail school, but I also intend on being the most fashionable! We have to wear blue scrubs. So I asked the administrator can I wear pink but she insisted on blue.”

Her first day brought the challenge of a pedicure on a fellow student: “When I got there, they immediately had us do pedicures on each other. I wanted to make sure I did it just the way the real salons do it, so I began with asking the girl if she wanted any water to drink. I was so relieved when she said no, because honestly, I didn’t have any to give her. Then I asked her to pick a color and she said French! I've never done French, but I was determined to not butcher it. Luckily, thanks to my weekly pedicures I took my time and it came out great. I know it wasn’t just me thinking I did good because all of the other girls kept asking if I had done this before,” she wrote.

Sounds like a successful day one. Only 236.5 hours left. We’ll keep you posted on her progress.

— Judy