Pensacola, Fla. – Two Littles in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida (BBBSNWFL) program were chosen as the recipients of the 2020 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) Rising Star Student Award. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s partnership with MiLB began in 2004 and has continued to grow ever since and spreading throughout the affiliate agencies around the country. Only 20 students were awarded this award and BBBSNWFL is extremely proud to have not only one, but two Littles from their agency each receive a $500 stipend to help prepare them for their “call-up” to college.
MiLB is made up of 160 clubs that are located in 42 states across the country. BBBSNWFL, located in Pensacola, Florida, is home of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Due to the strong partnership BBBSNWFL has with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, this was an incredibly proud moment for the staff, boards, Bigs, and Littles. Pensacola Blue Wahoos owner and avid supporter of community involvement and mentorship, Quint Studer, was honored to present the awards to two very deserving Littles.
“It is truly amazing what this organization has accomplished.” Stated Quint Studer, “To think there are 160 teams and only 20 scholarships, and we have two recipients from this area is not only a wonderful quality of Big Brothers Big Sisters, but also a testament and wonderful quality of the
Bigs themselves.”
Rhett and Dashawn are both high-school seniors with big plans for the future. Rhett plans on attending the University of Florida and will major in Pre-med Biomedical Engineering. Rhett was matched with his Big Brother Andrew in 2018. Rhett was a Little in the School to Work Program at Navy Federal Credit Union and would shadow his Big Brother once a month during school hours. Rhett has a very outgoing personality and strives to be the best at everything he does. Dashawn plans on attending Florida State University and will major in Computer Science. Dashawn has been matched with his Big Brother Richard for 10 years. He will be the first member in his family to go to college. His journey hasn’t been easy, but he continues fighting every day to be the very best he can be.
It is truly amazing how much you can impact a child’s life by mentoring. To watch the entire presentation, visit our YouTube channel.
