NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Excelling at their school sports teams and academics, sixteen student-athletes from 10 parishes have been honored as the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation’s Scholar Athletes of the Week, presented by Chevron.
This annual initiative supports local student-athletes pursuing higher education by providing scholarships and recognition to outstanding high school seniors from the Greater New Orleans region. Each recipient was honored at a school assembly, game, or local event, where they received their award in the presence of representatives from the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. Weekly, student-athletes were selected to receive the Chevron Scholar Athlete of the Week award, along with a $1,000 scholarship to the college of their choice.
Now in its eighth year, the program celebrates students who have demonstrated excellence both on the field and in the classroom. This year’s recipients hail from 15 different area high schools throughout the 10-parish Greater New Orleans region, are all seniors graduating in May 2025, have participated in high school sports for at least three years, and have maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
As part of their recognition, all winning student-athletes were recently invited to the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, where they were presented and celebrated on the field during the game.
“The student-athletes selected as Chevron Scholar Athlete of the Week have demonstrated their dedication to furthering their education after high school while still committing themselves to their school’s sport teams. It is commendable that these young men and women have juggled practices, training and preparing for competitions along with completing homework, studying and acing exams,” said Leah Brown, Public Affairs Manager for Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit. “All of us at Chevron congratulate them on their accomplishments as they embark on their journey toward achieving their dreams.”
Organized in August 1988, the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to attract and manage sporting events that have a positive economic impact on Louisiana and the Greater New Orleans area. Throughout its 36-year history, the Sports Foundation has hosted and been awarded hundreds of events and turned a $50 million public investment into more than $3.4 billion in economic impact for the State of Louisiana and the Greater New Orleans area.
“The Sports Foundation firmly believes that participating in sports, especially as a youth, teaches you lessons that go beyond the game – discipline, resilience, teamwork, leadership, and the power of perseverance,” said Jay Cicero, President and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. “Every win, loss and practice become a classroom for life. The student-athletes recognized as the Chevron Scholar Athlete of the Week strive for greatness both on and off the field. We encourage these recipients to remain dedicated to their higher education and never lose sight of all lessons learned.”
The 2024 Chevron Scholar Athlete of the Week recipients were:
Evan Agness, Mandeville High School
Jaden Bell, Varnado High School
Lia Beverly, Metairie Park Country Day School
Lily Capshaw, St. Scholastica Academy
Terrence Cormier Jr., St. Augustine High School
Jackson Doster, St. Charles Catholic High School
Braden Genius, Hahnville High School
Alexis Gongora, Ponchatoula High School
Zahyra Hayes, Lutcher High School
Jayce Markey, Hahnville High School
Cooper McNamara, Chalmette High School
Michael Reed Jr., Destrehan High School
Catalina Reichard, Mount Carmel Academy
Annika Roberson, Benjamin Franklin High School
Austin Vu, Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy
Aiden Younk, Belle Chasse High School
