For the eighth consecutive year, the Foot Locker Foundation has awarded $20,000 scholarships to 20 outstanding student-athletes.
Seniors William Sands of San Antonio, TX, and Alayssia Townsell of Stockton, CA, are two of the 20 students who were awarded the Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Scholarship.
A two-sport athlete on his varsity football and track & field teams, Sands’ memorable moment was winning the 2017 Football District Championship. Academically, Sands excels with a 4.1 GPA, is a Summa Cum Laude graduate, a National Wendy’s High School Heisman School winner and a College Board AP Scholar. A social entrepreneur at heart, Sands founded the Work Equals Success Foundation to teach young children safety protocols and procedures in football, reaching approximately 300 student athletes in two years. The Foot Locker Scholar Athlete Scholarship will aid Sands as he pursues his education at Vanderbilt University, working towards a degree in electrical/biomedical engineering.
Along with playing varsity volleyball and running track & field, Townsell has demonstrated her leadership skills as captain of her basketball varsity team and by leading her teammates to victory as part of the all-league basketball first team. Individually, she was named varsity girls basketball MVP and has won All-Tourney Leading Scorer (Stagg Basketball Tournament). Townsell has also maintained a 3.96 GPA and is vice president of the Black Student Union. Overcoming personal challenges, Townsell’s story is inspirational as she has harnessed her struggles to give back to her community. She is an exceptional ambassador to her community, launching a college preparatory club on-campus to help sophomores and juniors prepare for college and serving as president of the G.I.R.L.S. club, an organization to mentor low-income, at-risk girls in Stockton.
Townsell is a symbol of the values of the Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program, and the Foundation announced her as the recipient of the Ken C. Hicks Scholarship. This additional $5,000 scholarship (totaling $25,000) is awarded each year to one of the 20 inductees for exemplifying superior academic achievement, passion for her community, and a true love of the game. It is named in honor of Foot Locker’s former chairman and CEO.
“The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes program continues to be an important platform to celebrate some of the most talented and exceptional young scholar athletes across the country, like William and Alayssia, who are making a tremendous impact within their communities,” states Richard A. Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer of Foot Locker, Inc. “We remain deeply committed to investing in and empowering today’s youth by providing the opportunity to attend college and pursue their dreams.”
This year’s 20 winners will join the program’s eight previous classes of Foot Locker Scholar Athletes, which represents 160 total scholarship recipients since the program’s inception in 2011. With the 2019 Class, the Foot Locker Foundation will have invested more than $3 million in the education and future of some of America’s most promising scholar athletes. Supporting this all-star program is Fastweb, a scholarship and financial aid resource used by students and some of the scholarship winners to help find opportunities to pay for school.
This year’s awardees come from diverse backgrounds and represent a variety of sports disciplines, personal achievements, and community involvement.
