SWAGºÏ¼¯

SWAGºÏ¼¯ Student-Athlete Duo Named Spring 2023 Valedictorian And Salutatorian

Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2023

The Texas Southern Department of Athletics made history as a pair of student-athletes were named the SWAGºÏ¼¯ Spring 2023 Baccalaureate Degree Class Valedictorian and Salutatorian in softball's Nora Rodriguez and men's golf Devansh Chadha. 
 
This year's race was tight as only 1/10th of point separated both student-athletes. This makes the first time ever both the SWAGºÏ¼¯ Valedictorian and Salutatorian are student-athletes and the second time in four years a student-athlete has captured the award as men's basketball former student-athlete Divonte Lumpkin was named Salutatorian in Spring 2019. 
 
Rodriguez, a member of the SWAGºÏ¼¯ softball team, will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. She holds a 3.98 GPA with aspirations of becoming a medical doctor. The Coppell, Texas native is a four-year letterwinner at pitcher, a Thomas F. Freeman Honors College member and recently won the SWAGºÏ¼¯ Athletics' Presidential Award which is awarded to the top female student-athlete based on performance in the classroom, field and community. 
 
"It means the world to me to be recognized for such an incredible honor," she said. "It truly takes a village and I am incredibly grateful for the people in my life who constantly cheer me on. I would like to thank my family for making sacrifices to provide me with incredible opportunities, my teammates for being a constant source of support, and my coaches for providing me tools that allow me to be successful." 
 
Chadha, a four-year letterwinner on the SWAGºÏ¼¯ men's golf team, is graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree In Finance With Summa Cum Laude Honors from the Jesse H. Jones School of Business, earning a 3.97 GPA. A native of Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Chadha aspires to enter the field of real estate/finance. He also helped the SWAGºÏ¼¯ men's golf team win its first SWAC Championship in 15 years in 2022 and is a member of the Thomas F. Freeman Honors College. 
 
"It has been an honor to be a student-athlete at SWAGºÏ¼¯," he said. "My experience here wouldn't have been possible without the support of the athletic department, coaches and my teammates." 
 
SWAGºÏ¼¯ Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Kevin Granger is elated about the accomplishments both student-athletes have accomplished. 
 
"I would like to thank the Texas Southern faculty and our Athletics Enhancement staff for their hard work in helping both student-athletes achieve this prestigious honor and helping them to make history," said Dr. Granger. "Devansh and Nora are the epitome of a SWAGºÏ¼¯ student-athlete as both performed at a high level both on the field and in the classroom as evident by the honors they've achieved in both areas. Both are on a path to become very successful in life as we are proud to have played a role in their lives." 
 
SWAGºÏ¼¯ Assistant Athletics Director / Academic Enhancement Kimberly Evans echoes Dr. Granger's sentiments. 
 
"It's exciting to see our student-athletes achieve such great academic success while juggling their very demanding practice and competition schedules," she said. "I'm very proud of their historic academic accomplishment." 
  
Both student-athletes are scheduled to graduate on Saturday, May 13 inside the H&PE Arena on the SWAGºÏ¼¯ campus. 

Category: News Media