Minority Athletic Directors Association awards scholarships to local high school athletes

For the fourth consecutive year, the Minority Athletic Director Association (MADA) awarded scholarships to local high school athletes in Greater Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio.

This year, MADA branched out to expand scholarship opportunities to the other five regions covered by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Five of the six scholarship winners were from Southwest Ohio.

The 2022 winners are: Mikalia Claridy, Akron Firestone (Morgan State University), Keylan Holt, Aiken (Wilberforce University), Nilaja Johnson Jr., La Salle (Thomas More College), Jalen L. Smith, Dayton Early College Academy (Tennessee State University), Joe Taylor, Clayton Northmont (University of Findlay) and Jaiden Washington, Dayton Regional STEM (Howard University).

"Our applicant pool had a diverse mix of public and private school student-athletes who had to have at least one varsity letter as a requirement or one year in their school's marching band," scholarship chair and Norwood Athletic Director Chuck Richardson said. "The scholarship criteria also asked candidates to write a one-page essay on why they deserved the scholarship, submit two letters of recommendation from a teacher, principal or community official, proof of college acceptance and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher."

Each scholarship is worth $500, per Richardson, and can be used for school supplies, books, school fees or tuition costs.

MADA was founded in 2016 by then-Purcell Marian athletic director Kenny Pope and Summit Country Day athletic director Greg Dennis. The association has seen exponential growth over the last five years and serves as a way for minority athletic directors to collaborate for professional development opportunities while searching for avenues to help introduce minorities into the field of interscholastic athletics.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Minority Athletic Directors Association awards local scholarships