Spelman students take home big prize as Honda Campus All-Star Challenge champs
Spelman College has proven once again that Black girls are indeed magic after they won the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge in Los Angeles and brought home the big bucks.
—Flint receives nearly $80 million in federal funding for water projects—
“The entire Spelman College community is thrilled to see our students win the 30th Annual Honda All-Star Challenge,” said Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell.
Spelman has won the 2019 @HCASC Campus All-Star Challenge! Congratulations to participants Ariana Benson, C’2019, Jessika Agyepong, C’2020, Maati McKinney, C’2021, Naomi Steplight, C’2021, & Coach Dan Bascelli! This is the College’s first win in the history of the competition. pic.twitter.com/WM4WCjOHZ4
— Spelman College (@SpelmanCollege) April 16, 2019
“The competition was fierce and we are so proud of our fantastic team. For three decades, the Honda Challenge has showcased the academic excellence of historically black colleges and supported students financially and through networking and mentorship opportunities. We appreciate the commitment to HBCUs and our students.”
Each year, Honda awards more than $350,000 in institutional grants to participating HBCUs in addition to providing travel, meals and accommodations for the 48 teams, The AJC reports. The annual quiz-bowl competition invites 48-HBCU teams to compete.
The women at Spelman beat schools like Tuskegee University, Atlanta University Center and even Morehouse College in the semi-finals, taking home the national title for the first time and $75,000.
The winning Spelman team included senior and team captain Ariana Benson; junior Jessika Agyepong; and sophomores Maati McKinney and Naomi Steplight.
The team’s coach was Dan Bascelli, Spelman’s coordinator of instructional technologies.
“Winning itself isn’t the only reward. It’s about bringing these students together and watching them represent their school in the best possible way,” said Bascelli.
