CHARLOTTE HORNETS FOUNDATION AWARDS 2022-23 HORNETS VENOM GT SCHOLARSHIP TO JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY’S ESPORTS & GAMING MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
March 14, 2023
March 12, 2023 – The Charlotte Hornets Foundation and Hornets Venom GT, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, today announced that the 2022-23 Hornets Venom GT Scholarship has been awarded to Johnson C. Smith University’s (JCSU) Esports & Gaming Management program. After reviewing the applications, the Charlotte Hornets Foundation determined that the entirety of JCSU’s Esports & Gaming Management program would best benefit from the funding from the annual scholarship, rather than just one individual student. JCSU is Charlotte’s only HBCU and was the first HBCU to offer such a program.
“Our organization has a long-standing relationship with Johnson C. Smith University, and we are proud to support their innovative Esports & Gaming Management program in many ways throughout the year,” said Charlotte Hornets Foundation Executive Director Betsy Mack. “Our goal this year in awarding the annual Hornets Venom GT Scholarship to the overall Esports & Gaming Management program is to help support all of the program’s current and future students rather than just one.”
The inaugural Hornets Venom GT Scholarship was awarded in 2020-21 to Charlotte-area high school students Kyra Kuyvenhoven and Ajane Lawrence, who were interested in pursuing careers in STEM. In 2021-22, the focus shifted to JCSU’s Esports & Gaming Management program, and the second scholarship went to Eric Darcey Flowe, then a senior majoring in Sports Management and minoring in Esports & Gaming Management.
The charitable arm of Hornets Sports & Entertainment, the Charlotte Hornets Foundation is committed to inspiring a philanthropic culture and strengthening the region through intentional partnerships, charitable giving and social projects in the areas of education, hunger, military care and wellness. The Charlotte Hornets Foundation encompasses the efforts of the entire organization, including the Charlotte Hornets, the NBA G League Greensboro Swarm, the NBA 2K League Hornets Venom GT and Spectrum Center.