NCHSAA SCHOLARSHIPS: Athletes from N-C, Hickory win Bradshaw Memorial awards

HobbsDailyReport.com

CHAPEL HILL — High school athletes from Newton-Conover and Hickory were among the winners of Willie Bradshaw Memorial Endowed scholarships presented by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) during the first week of May.

The NCHSAA presents a $750 scholarship to outstanding African American, American Indian/Alaska native and/or Asian Pacfic Islander American or Hispanic Americans in each of the state’s eight regions.

The winners from Region 7 were Gensis Noemi Zavala of Newton-Conover and Jalil Khateeb Thompson of Hickory.

Their bios via an NCHSAA press release:

Jalil Thompson, Hickory:  Thompson carries a 4.62 weighted GPA at Hickory where he was a member of the football and track and field programs. He has been the offensive line Captain for two years, and has been a member of the National Honor Society and BETA Club. He is also a member of the Hickory City Council’s “Youth City Council” while serving as a mentor through the City of Refuge Mentoring program.

Genesis Noemi Zavala, Newton-Conover and Bunker Hill: Zavala carries a 4.20 weighted GPA through her four-year high school career that spans time at Newton-Conover and Bunker Hill.  She has participated in cross country and outdoor track while staying active as a member of the Spanish, Debate, BETA and Key Clubs. She has volunteered with Operation Christmas Child and has served at the Corner Table soup kitchen.

The scholarships are in memory of the late Bradshaw, who spent nearly 50 years associated with high school athletics as a player, coach and administrator. Inducted into the NCHSAA Hall of Fame in 1995, Bradshaw was a Durham native. He was elected into the National High School Hall of Fame in 2010.

Bradshaw was first a star athlete at Durham Hillside High, playing on a 1943 team that was unbeaten and unscored upon. He played at North Carolina College (now N.C. Central) and, in baseball, pitched for several Negro League teams. He was the first African-American city or county athletic director when hired for that spot by the Durham City School System. He retired in 1992 and died in March 2015.

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