She has appeared in a variety of films and television series, including "How High," "Deliver Us from Eva," "Family Matters," "Sister Sister," and "The Cosby Show." One of her television roles was in the Saved by the Bell spin-off, "Saved by the Bell: The College Years." She appeared in the pilot, but when Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, a regular from the original, opted to return, Atkins' character was written out. She also had a main role in "Smart Guy" as the older sister Tasha Yevette Henderson, as well as the starring role of Dee Dee Thorne in the series "Half & Half," playing half-sister to Rachel True's character.