UH graduate Stephanie Nwachukwu (No. 3) is the first Cougar to receive a postgraduate scholarship. | Brianna Leigh Morrison/The Daily Cougar
If competing on the volleyball court for the past four years wasn’t an impressive enough feat by recent graduate Stephanie Nwachukwu, perhaps her latest academic victory is.
This offseason, she was one of the 12 Conference USA student athletes to receive the fifth annual Jim Castañeda Postgraduate Scholarship — she is the first volleyball player to earn a postgraduate scholarship.
The award, announced on Tuesday by C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky, includes $4,000 that will aid Nwachukwu while she attends the University of Texas Health Science Center where she is studying to be a nurse. Selected by the C-USA Faculty Athletics Representatives as well as the Board of Directors, Nwachukwu’s academic, athletic and activities in the community made her an ideal candidate for the scholarship.
“That is why we’re here doing the the things we do,” said head coach Kaddie Platt. “Wanting the best for them [the players] and for their lives. Academics is certainly a part of that. She’s been the ideal student athlete and we’re real proud of her.”
Aside from her on-the-court legacy as a four-year letter winner from George Bush High School in Houston, Nwachukwu maintained a 3.72 GPA while majoring in chemistry and minoring in biology. The former Right Side left UH with 346 total sets played and 751 kills while being a four-time winner of the C-USA Academic Medal and the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Always recognized as a team leader, Platt pointed out that many of the things she excelled at Nwachukwu helped pass along to the younger players all throughout the previous season.
“This is a tremendous honor for Stephanie and we couldn’t be more proud of the way she has represented our program on and off the court during her four years at Houston,” Platt said in a statement. “She is the ideal student-athlete and has the same work ethic in the classroom as she did on the court. It is exciting to see her honored by the league office.”
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