December 22, 2022
DALLAS – The National Society of Black Sports Professionals North Texas (BSPNTX) announces its 2022-23 scholarships recipients.
Nine students with North Texas ties are set to receive $14,000 in scholarships – $11,000 to six BSPNTX Leadership Scholarships recipients and $3,000 to three BSPNTX Community Scholarships recipients – during the current academic year.
The two top BSPNTX Leadership Scholarships recipients – Gary Freeman and MaKayla Martin – are being awarded $2,500 each, while the remaining four Leadership Scholarships recipients are receiving $1,500 each. The BSPNTX Community Scholarships recipients are receiving $1,000 each. Michael Malone III is receiving a scholarship from the chapter for the second-straight year after earning a Leadership Scholarship in 2021-22.
2022-23 BSPNTX Leadership Scholarships Recipients
• Gary Freeman (Graduate Student, Kemp, Texas) – Business Administration in Sport Entertainment Management at the University of North Texas
• MaKayla Martin (Graduate Student, Dallas, Texas) – Health, Kinesiology and Sports Studies (Athletic Administration Concentration) at Texas A&M University-Commerce
• Elena Bleicher (Senior, Gries, France) – Business Administration – Sports Business at Stephen F. Austin University
• Kolbi Sipho (Graduate Student, Fort Worth, Texas) – Adult and Higher Education (Athletic Administration concentration) at the University of Oklahoma
• Cynthia Ubah (Graduate Student, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria) – Sport Management at Sam Houston State University
• Jasmine Williams (Graduate Student, Allen, Texas) – Business Administration at Southern Methodist University
2022-23 BSPNTX Community Scholarships Recipients
• Michael Malone III (Junior, Murphy, Texas) – Recreation, Event, and Sport Management (Sport & Event Management Track) at the University of North Texas
• Camille Mims (Senior, Lewisville, Texas) – Sport Management at Texas Woman's University • Jardin Whittaker (Senior, Dallas, Texas) – Sport Management at Texas Woman's University
Applicants for this year's BSPNTX scholarships had to meet the criteria of 1) being a college sophomore, junior, senior or graduate student at a college or university in the greater North Texas area or being a North Texas-area native pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in sport management (or sports-related field of study) area, 2) maintaining a current GPA of 3.0 or higher for the BSPNTX Leadership Scholarships or 2.5 or higher for the BSPNTX Community Scholarships and 3) submitting a written essay of 500 words or less outlining how his/her goals to pursue a career in sports align with BSPNTX's pillars.
In the first two years of its scholarships program, BSPNTX has awarded $24,500 to 16 college students striving to be among the next generation of professionals with careers in the sports industry.
"Selecting this year's recipients was once again a difficult and rewarding challenge," said BSPNTX Scholarships Committee Chair Cherise Lee. "We were very pleased to have received a more diverse collection of applicants and a stronger set of applications than our first year. Our Executive Board is excited to recognize these students for their work in the classroom and as they are working to develop post-college careers in the sports world."