DALLAS – The National Society of Black Sports Professionals North Texas (BSPNTX) announces its 2026-27 scholarships recipients.
Ten college students with North Texas ties are set to receive $25,000 in scholarships – $3,000 to five BSPNTX Leadership Scholarship recipients and $2,000 to five BSPNTX Community Scholarship recipients – during the upcoming academic year. All 10 recipients are first-time awardees of the chapter’s scholarships.
Rya Irons, a graduate student from Dallas pursuing a master’s degree in clinical and mental health at the University of North Texas at Dallas, and Grace Moothart, a graduate student from Melissa, Texas, pursuing a master’s degree in Sport Entertainment Management at UNT, earned the top two BSPNTX Leadership Scholarships.
Also receiving Leadership Scholarships are Aaron Hall, a DeSoto, Texas, native majoring in marketing with a minor in communication studies at Texas Southern University, Tralan Mathis, a graduate student from Dallas pursuing a master’s degree in sports administration at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Ava Shane, a Plano, Texas, native pursuing bachelor’s degrees in economics and sociology at Wellesley College.
Rounding out this year’s scholarships recipients are Kameron Duckens, Julian Sheffield, Genesis Tates, Terez Tolbert and Marien Washington, each receiving a BSPNTX Community Scholarship.
The chapter’s 2026-27 distribution in the sixth year of its scholarships initiative brings its total to $119,500 distributed to fund a total of 58 scholarships for 51 college students with North Texas ties striving to be among the next generation of professionals seeking careers in the sports industry.
2026-27 BSPNTX Leadership Scholarships Recipients
• Aaron Hall (Senior, DeSoto, Texas) – Marketing minoring in Communication Studies at Texas Southern University
• Rya Irons (Graduate Student, Dallas, Texas) – Clinical and Mental Health at the University of North Texas at Dallas
• Tralan Mathis (Graduate Student, Dallas, Texas) – Sports Administration at Southeastern Oklahoma State University
• Grace Moothart (Graduate Student, Melissa, Texas) – Sport Entertainment Management at the University of North Texas
• Ava Shane (Junior, Plano, Texas) – Economics and Sociology at Wellesley College
2026-27 Community Scholarships Recipients
• Kameron Duckens (Junior, Houston, Texas) – Kinesiology at the University of North Texas
• Julian Sheffield (Junior, Denton, Texas) – Journalism minoring in Weather and Climate at the University of Oklahoma
• Genesis Tates (Graduate Student, Plano, Texas) – Sport Entertainment Management at the University of North Texas
• Terez Tolbert (Graduate Student, Dallas, Texas) – Sport Entertainment Management at the University of North Texas
• Marien Washington (Sophomore, Dallas, Texas) – Sport Administration minoring in Leadership and Development at Louisiana State University
Applicants for this year’s BSPNTX scholarships had to meet the criteria of 1) being a rising college sophomore, junior, senior or graduate student at a college or university in the greater North Texas area or being a North Texas-area native pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in sport management or sports-related field of study, 2) maintaining a current GPA of 3.0 or higher to be considered for a Leadership Scholarship or 2.5 or higher to be considered for a Community Scholarship 3) providing one letter of recommendation and 4) submitting a written essay of 500 words or less.
“Each year we continually seek to further expand the reach of our BSPNTX Scholarship Initiative to outstanding, deserving college students with North Texas ties striving to pursue careers in or around the sports industry,” said BSPNTX Scholarship Committee Chair Tracy Honoré. “This year’s recipients represent top-tier scholars pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees who also make time to give back to their respective communities in positive and engaging ways. We can’t wait to see what’s next for them as they earn their degrees and launch their careers.”
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