Mandela Washington Fellows & Women's Basketball Team
Sharing perspectives
Summer 2024 marked the 10th year the Reves Center, on behalf of William & Mary and its partners in the Presidential Precinct, has welcomed Africa’s brightest, emerging civic leaders for a six-week Leadership Program of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.
Thanks to Cyndy Huddleston '83, M.Ed. '86 and her husband, Jon Huddleston, B.A. '82, J.D. '86, three of the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellows spent an afternoon with incoming freshmen members of the W&M Women's Basketball Team while visiting the campus in June. Cyndy is friends with Coach Erin Dickerson Davis, who agreed to the meeting in the middle of pre-season training.
Back row L-R: Aislinn Gibson '27; Marley Long '28; Natalie Fox '28; Sophia LeGoullon '28; Emma West '28
Front row L-R: Chichi Mlingwa (Zimbabwe); Nicolatte Matuku (Zimbabwe); Nafisa Atiku-Abubakar (Nigeria); Cassidy Geddes '27; Bella Nascimento '25; Monet Dance '27
"Over the summer, I had coffee with Cyndy and wanted to pick her brain about opportunities for our student athletes to grow and learn outside of basketball. When she spoke to me about the Mandela Fellows and the amazing things they had accomplished or were on the verge of accomplishing, I thought their perspective and experiences would be an incredible learning opportunity for our young women. Our young women left their meeting with the Mandela Fellows inspired, filled with gratitude, and with their eyes opened to different points of view. I’m so thankful for the experience."
—Coach Erin Dickerson Davis
"I got great feedback from the players. They loved getting exposure to people with different experiences and backgrounds and loved the positive energy and different perspectives that the Mandela Fellows brought."
—Jacob Lofton '24
Director of Basketball Operations,
Women’s Basketball
