CLEVELAND - The John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation is proud to recognize the eight winners of the John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards.

"The McLendon Scholar family extends far and wide across the country since the Foundation was established in 1999, and we are proud to recognize these eight new members with this distinction," stated McLendon Foundation President and Director of Athletics at Georgetown University, Lee Reed. "Each of the deserving recipients will utilize their education to become outstanding collegiate athletics administrators while serving as positive role models for future generations of minorities aspiring to work in our industry."

The 2020 John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship recipients are:

Student	Undergraduate Institution	Undergraduate Major
Sophia Elenga	Arizona State University	Sports Journalism
Cam Fenton	University of Illinois	Kinesiology/Pre-Med
Laura Hicks	University of Alabama	Marketing
Christian Hithe	University of North Carolina, Charlotte	Computer Science, Information Technology
Tia Jones	Wayne State College	Sport Management and Political Science
Christine-Evette Ngeve	Shaw University	Psychology
Jordan Roundtree	University of Missouri	Parks, Recreation and Sport
Orianna Shillow	University of North Texas	Business Analytics

Through the support of the Fiesta Bowl's endowment commitment to the Foundation, a John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship will be awarded each year to a student associated with an Arizona-based four-year institution. The McLendon Scholarship, presented by the Fiesta Bowl, is being awarded to Sophia Elenga, who plans to pursue a master's in sport law and business this fall.
 
"The McLendon Minority Scholarship develops the next generation of collegiate athletics leaders. Providing opportunities for learning and leadership will instill confidence and experience for the next steps in their careers," stated Fiesta Bowl Executive Director Mike Nealy. "Sophia is inspirational in how she moved to a new country, adapted to a new culture and committed to guide the student-athletes that will follow her. We're excited to see her career path blossom here at Arizona State University."
 
In addition to the Fiesta Bowl, the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A) has continued its sponsorship of two of the $10,000 scholarships. A portion of this contribution to the Foundation is in memory of Curtis Jones, former associate athletics director for academic support at West Virginia, who passed away suddenly in September 2013. Jones was a N4A Board Member at the time of his death.

The McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship winners will each receive a $10,000 grant to be used towards postgraduate studies in athletics administration. Funding for the scholarship program has been provided in part by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA); the Cleveland Cavaliers; Major League Baseball (MLB); the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC); the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA); the National Basketball Association (NBA); the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA); Capital One; and Sears, Roebuck and Co. As of the 2018-19 academic year, the John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Program has awarded over 100 scholarships, totaling over $1 million.

Minorities (as defined by federal guidelines) who intend to pursue a postgraduate degree in athletics administration are eligible for these scholarships. Students were required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale and have demonstrated leadership qualities on an institutional or community level.

Biographies on each of the winners and more information about the McLendon Scholarship Award can be found below.

Elenga earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Arizona State University (ASU), majoring in sport journalism and maintaining a 3.14 GPA. In 2014, she was the U20 European Women's Basketball Champion, while playing on the French National Team. Elenga then went on to play basketball at Arizona State, where she was a three-time Sun Devil Scholar-Athlete. In the fall, she plans to pursue a degree in sports law at Arizona State University.
 

Fenton received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois. Majoring in kinesiology, he upheld a GPA of 3.53. While at Illinois, Fenton also received his graduate degree in 2017 with a sport management focus. He also made the Dean's List every year. In 2019, Fenton participated in the Big 12 Diversity Program. In the fall, he will enter his final year as an MBA student at Texas Christian University (TCU).
 

Hicks completed her bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Alabama, while maintaining a 3.706 GPA. For the past nine months, Hicks was serving as an intern in Los Angeles for the LA Chargers. In 2018, she assisted in Alabama with the EPSN Birmingham Bowl week. Hicks' next steps include pursing her degree in sports administration from Georgia State University this fall.
 
Hithe received her bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of North Carolina Charlotte, upholding a 3.862 GPA. She was a member of the Charlotte 49ers women's basketball team. Every semester, Hithe had made the athletics director's list. This past year, she was named to the Conference USA All-America Team. Hithe is pursuing a master's in information technology, with an emphasis on sports data analysis, from UNC Charlotte.
 
Jones earned a bachelor's degree in sport management and political science from Wayne State College, maintaining a 3.77 GPA. This past year, Jones was awarded the 2020 Myles Brand All-America with Distinction Award, from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). While participating on the track and field team, she was awarded the Presidential Scholar Student-Athlete Award every fall. In 2019, the Student-Athlete Support Group for Wayne State College was created by Jones. Her postgraduate plans include pursuing her master's degree at Wayne State College, while working as an operation intern for the cross country/ track and field program at the University of Minnesota.
 

Ngeve received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Shaw University, maintaining a 3.76 GPA. She was an Honors College member all four years at Shaw. In 2019, Ngeve was named CIAA Woman of the Year and a NCAA Top 30 Woman of the Year honoree. Her next step is pursuing a Master of Social Work at North Carolina State University.
 

Roundtree completed her bachelor's degree in sports management from the University of Missouri, while holding a 3.877 GPA. Not only was she a member of the women's basketball team, but Roundtree graduated in three years. All six semesters, she made the Dean's List. In the summer of 2019, she was named the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar. Roundtree is continuing her education at the University of Missouri, where she will earn an MBA.
 
Shillow received her bachelor's degree in business analytics from the University of North Texas (UNT), while upholding a 3.475 GPA. Shillow played on the UNT women's basketball team for four years. In addition, she made the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll List all four years. This is awarded to student-athletes who achieve a 3.0 and above. She currently serves as a graduate assistant in athletics academic services at the University of Memphis. Shillow is pursuing her master's in sports commerce from Memphis.   
 
About the Fiesta Bowl: The Fiesta Bowl is a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans. As a nonprofit organization, it believes in the importance of community outreach and service. Through charitable giving, the organization strives to enhance Arizona nonprofit organizations that contribute to the success of communities through youth, sports and education. Since 1971, the Fiesta Bowl has worked to increase its footprint across the state and work to benefit Arizonans year-round, during and outside of bowl season.
 
About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 55th year, is the professional and educational Association for more than 15,700 college athletics administrators at more than 1,700 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 6,500 athletics administrators annually attend NACDA & Affiliates Convention Week. Additionally, NACDA manages 17 professional associations and three foundations. For more information on NACDA, visit www.nacda.com.