Four former Hilltopper Basketball student-athletes have united to honor their alma mater and provide opportunities for groups at WKU. Adam Howard (’09), Courtney Lee (’08), Orlando Méndez-Valdez (’09) and Anthony Winchester (’06) wanted to help WKU achieve its educational goal of promoting an environment by creating a scholarship to support students who may not be able to afford college without financial assistance.
The Toppers Assist Scholarship Fund will support an incoming WKU freshman who graduated from a high school in Bowling Green or Warren County, Ky.
Howard, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Ala., says the former teammates credit WKU for everything they have each achieved at this point in their lives.
“Success in life is about working with people, not against them,” said Howard. “Those who are in a good position in their own lives, it’s your responsibility to bring others along with you, no matter their need. To say I am honored to give back to the Bowling Green community with my brothers would be an understatement.”
“WKU is a special place to me, and I have always considered Bowling Green a second home,” said Lee, a professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks. “I knew at some point I wanted to give back, and I really wanted it to be genuine and intentional. Helping our youth has always been a passion of mine, and I am really excited about creating a scholarship through WKU with my former teammates to create an opportunity for a young man or young woman to get their foot in the door at a place that means so much to me.”
Méndez-Valdez (’09), a professional basketball player for Capitanes de Ciudad de México of the NBA G League, said, “we have the ability to use our individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives to make our society a better place,” said Méndez-Valdez. “Working alongside my WKU brothers from all different backgrounds gives us the opportunity to work for the community through teamwork.”
Winchester, Men’s Basketball Video Coordinator at University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., echoed Méndez-Valdez’ feelings, noting that the group wants to give other WKU students an opportunity like the one they were each fortunate to receive.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished,” said Winchester. “It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you made better and what you’ve given back. To be fortunate enough to have an opportunity to give back to a community and school I love dearly is an honor.”
“I am counting on all of Bowling Green and all of Hilltopper Nation to contribute and help in any way possible so that we can create even more opportunities through this scholarship fund that benefits the WKU campus,” added Lee.
The Toppers Assist Scholarship will be administered by the College Heights Foundation at WKU. If you would like to support this scholarship, please visit alumni.wku.edu/topperassist.
The Toppers Assist Scholarship is part of the WKU Opportunity Fund, a donor-driven fundraising campaign to benefit WKU students.
