Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Shneeka Center Honored With TJWF Award
3/18/2014 9:41:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Senior women's basketball player Shneeka Center was recently honored with the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to extend her studies as announced by the foundation. She is one of 44 students from 40 institutions around the United States that are part of the TJWF.
Center becomes the 16th Davidson student, and just the third student-athlete, to earn the fellowship award dating back to 2001-02.
"The Davidson basketball community is proud of Shneeka and thankful that she will have the opportunity to follow her passion," said head coach Michele Savage. "She is an impactful young woman and we look forward to following her travels. She will represent Davidson well."
The senior guard/forward will travel to Sweden, India, Senegal and Peru while studying and researching the topic of female social mobility through sport.
"My project strives to examine how participation in athletics is enabling females to positively or negatively influence their position in society," said Center, who will graduate this May from Davidson with a degree in political science. "My Watson year will take me to four locations -- Sweden, India, Senegal and Peru. In each case, sports are providing girls with unique opportunities to change their social standing. I aim to answer case-specific questions and uncover the methods by which sports are able to have an influence on girls' lives worldwide."
Center, who recently finished up her senior season with the Wildcat women's basketball program, was a four-year letterwinner. She played in 88 career games, including a career-best 31 during her senior campaign. Center averaged a personal-best 7.5 points in her final season and hauled in over five rebounds a game, also a career-high.
The TJW Fellowship is a one-year grant for independent study and travel outside the United States awarded to graduating college seniors nominated by participating institutions. It offers college graduates of "unusual promise" a year of independent, purposeful exploration and travel -- in international settings new to them -- to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community.
The Thomas J. Watson Foundation was created in 1961 as a charitable trust by Mrs. Thomas J. Watson, Sr., in honor of her late husband, the founder of International Business Machines Corp., widely known as IBM. The Foundation initially used its resources in support of a variety of programs. In 1968, in recognition of Mr. and Mrs. Watson's long-standing interest in education and world affairs, their children--Mrs. Helen W. Buckner, Mrs. John N. Irwin II, Mr. Arthur K. Watson, and Mr. Thomas J. Watson, Jr.--decided that the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program should constitute a major activity of the Foundation. Since that date, the Fellowship Program has granted more than 2,700 Watson Fellowship awards, with stipends totaling more than $29 million.
In 1999, the Foundation created the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship Program, which works with students from ten New York City colleges, offering skill-building internships and other summer learning opportunities.
Center becomes the 16th Davidson student, and just the third student-athlete, to earn the fellowship award dating back to 2001-02.
"The Davidson basketball community is proud of Shneeka and thankful that she will have the opportunity to follow her passion," said head coach Michele Savage. "She is an impactful young woman and we look forward to following her travels. She will represent Davidson well."
The senior guard/forward will travel to Sweden, India, Senegal and Peru while studying and researching the topic of female social mobility through sport.
"My project strives to examine how participation in athletics is enabling females to positively or negatively influence their position in society," said Center, who will graduate this May from Davidson with a degree in political science. "My Watson year will take me to four locations -- Sweden, India, Senegal and Peru. In each case, sports are providing girls with unique opportunities to change their social standing. I aim to answer case-specific questions and uncover the methods by which sports are able to have an influence on girls' lives worldwide."
Center, who recently finished up her senior season with the Wildcat women's basketball program, was a four-year letterwinner. She played in 88 career games, including a career-best 31 during her senior campaign. Center averaged a personal-best 7.5 points in her final season and hauled in over five rebounds a game, also a career-high.
The TJW Fellowship is a one-year grant for independent study and travel outside the United States awarded to graduating college seniors nominated by participating institutions. It offers college graduates of "unusual promise" a year of independent, purposeful exploration and travel -- in international settings new to them -- to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community.
The Thomas J. Watson Foundation was created in 1961 as a charitable trust by Mrs. Thomas J. Watson, Sr., in honor of her late husband, the founder of International Business Machines Corp., widely known as IBM. The Foundation initially used its resources in support of a variety of programs. In 1968, in recognition of Mr. and Mrs. Watson's long-standing interest in education and world affairs, their children--Mrs. Helen W. Buckner, Mrs. John N. Irwin II, Mr. Arthur K. Watson, and Mr. Thomas J. Watson, Jr.--decided that the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program should constitute a major activity of the Foundation. Since that date, the Fellowship Program has granted more than 2,700 Watson Fellowship awards, with stipends totaling more than $29 million.
In 1999, the Foundation created the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship Program, which works with students from ten New York City colleges, offering skill-building internships and other summer learning opportunities.
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