When D’Ondre Swails went to college, he looked for a way to replicate the energy and team spirit he had when he ran varsity track in high school. At the historically black, all-male Morehouse College in Atlanta, he discovered the world of quiz bowl.
“It was a replacement for my competitive nature from high school, but something that directly related to being a student,” said Swails, 21, of Vallejo, Calif.
The ability to compete to win money for his school was an added bonus.
Amid a national conversation about the relevance of historically black colleges and universities, Swails and more than 200 other students from black colleges met in Torrance last week to compete in an annual quiz bowl competition. The grueling battle of intellect provides thousands of dollars in grant money to the competing schools, many of whose students have difficulty paying for college and graduating.
“Every semester I’m pushing for resources to keep 300 to 400 students in school,” said Cynthia Warrick, president of Grambling State University in Louisiana. “Efforts like this, that can help these students who are working so hard, are important and should be enhanced.” read more…
