WASHINGTON — The D.C. State Athletic Association has made inroads over the past few seasons to help bridge the athletic gap between public, private and charter schools in the District by facilitating matchups outside of the league structures.
But the DCSAA is trying to be more than just a facilitator of on-field competition. For the second year in a row, the organization has partnered with Modell’s and Wendy’s to provide 15 D.C. high school seniors with $1,000 college scholarships. A reception will be held for the winners at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives on Wednesday evening.
“We are proud to honor these young men and women for their success in the classroom, in athletics and in the community,” DCSAA Executive Director Clark Ray said in the release announcing this year’s class.
The 15 students come from 14 different schools (Wilson is the only school with two) and a variety of sports. The biggest thing the Student-Athlete Academic Scholarship Program winners share is their success both in and out of the classroom.
A perfect example is Hannah Natanson, a Harvard-bound soccer player from Georgetown Day.
While Natanson earned some merit-based financial aid, she is attending an institution in the Ivy League, one of America’s lone remaining collegiate conferences that does not offer athletic scholarships. Because of that, every little bit of assistance helps.
“My parents are very happy,” says Natanson, who found out about the opportunity through her school’s athletic director.
On the field, Natanson has starred for the Mighty Hoppers as a second team all-met selection in 2014. Despite playing center back on her club team (and, likely, in college), she was moved up to a forward position at GDS to help her team’s offense. She did exactly that, leading the team in scoring.
“I prefer center back better, but it was what my high school needed me to play,” she says.
Her versatility and adaptability were some of the reasons Harvard women’s soccer head coach Ray Leone was so keen on bringing Natanson to Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“I definitely love that,” says Leone, who also stressed that Natanson’s attitude was an integral part of her character. “Number one, I just thought she was such a winner. I love that she played with a smile on her face, that she brings that personality to our team. We’re obviously out here trying to win every game, but you might as well have fun while doing it.”
Off the field, Natanson sports all A’s in the classroom despite a heavy AP class load, and served as the editor of the paper for the calendar year that spanned her junior and senior years. Somehow, around the busy schedule of the classroom, the paper, and both club and varsity soccer she managed to serve as a volunteer tutor, and even interned at the National Institute of Health last summer. It’s that combination that led her to be chosen for the DCSAA scholarship.
So how did Natanson manage all of that at once?
“Well, I’m not going to say that it was easy,” she says. “It was a lot of work, and sometimes not very fun. But I had a lot of support from teachers, coaches, and most of all my parents, who drove me to everything before I was old enough to drive. I had a great support system.”
Natanson’s also happy to see DCSAA’s efforts so far in creating citywide competitions, and hopes they continue for those who follow after she leaves.
“I think that D.C. athletics in recent years have really stepped up having tournaments and all-state teams,” she says. “It’s great to give kids in D.C. a chance like that.”
The full list of DCSAA scholarship winners:
– Tarik Abraham, Washington Latin Public Charter School, Basketball
– Joshua Bain, Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School, Baseball
– Abigail Bibb, Woodrow Wilson Senior High School, Volleyball
– Angel Cheeks, Friendship Collegiate Academy, Volleyball/Cheerleading
– Alexis Coates, Woodrow Wilson Senior High School, Softball/Volleyball
– Robera Jinfessa, Bell Multicultural High School, Baseball
– Deja Johnson, Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School, Track and Field
– Emily Kaplan, Georgetown Visitation School, Cross-Country/Track and Field
– Brandon Lucas, St. John’s College High School, Football
– Dominique Matthews, McKinley Technology Education Campus, Track and Field
– Hannah Natanson, Georgetown Day School, Soccer/Track and Field
– Aaron Parrish-Dean, Thurgood Marshall Public Charter School, Basketball
– Michael Pearson, KIPP DC College Preparatory, Football
– Nigel Robinson, Gonzaga College High School, Football/Rugby
– Briana Walker, Anacostia Senior High School, Bowling
