Ivory Coast Athlete Receives First Texas A&M Judo Scholarship
Abdel Kader Diawara, 21, a junior accounting major, is the recipient of the first Texas A&M Judo Scholarship. Diawara hails from the Ivory Coast where he was a regional champion, junior national champion and represented his nation in Africa's Continental Championship. Since his arrival in Texas he has won two consecutive Texas Collegiate Conference titles. "He's really assumed a leadership role on the team," Bob Perez, head coach of the Texas A&M judo team, said of the Collins Community College transfer. The A&M judo team has consistently placed in the top three in the nation in collegiate judo competition and is usually in the running for the national title. They now join a small handful of universities nationally that offers a judo scholarship. No other college in Texas offers a judo scholarship. "We're hoping the scholarship will help us attract people who are not only great judo athletes, but are great students who will be involved in a number of extracurricular activities," Perez said. He added that Diawara as a recipient fits in with Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Dean Bresciani's proclamation that this year is the "Year of the International Student." The team often has foreign students and visitors training with it. "We still have a lot of work to do," Perez said. "We want to increase the endowment so we can offer larger scholarships to more people in the future." Donations to Texas A&M Endowed Judo Scholarship are tax-deductible and count toward the One Spirit One Vision campaign, a $1 billion fund-raising effort aimed at helping Texas A&M attain a national top 10 status. If you have any questions, please contact Texas A&M Judo at 979.218.4582 or by e-mail at judoscholarship@tamu.edu. |