FAIRFAX, Va. – Twelve UCLA student-athletes – including sport winners Natalie Chou, Samantha Sakti and Kinsley Washington, as well as finalist Shea Pitts – were named 2022 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education announced Thursday in its annual special report edition.
Joining Chou (women’s basketball), Sakti (gymnastics), Washington (softball) and Pitts (football) as honorees were Marley Canales (women’s soccer), Gabby Dang (swimming and diving), Jackie Gilday (women’s soccer), Chase Griffin (football), Paula Jaramillo (rowing), Jillian Martinez (women’s soccer), Kaleb Tuliau (football) and Sara Ulias (gymnastics).
Since 1992, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar awards have been presented to undergraduate students of color who have excelled in the classroom as well as on the athletic field.
Inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe, Jr.’s commitment to education as well as his love for the game of tennis, U.S. colleges and universities are invited to participate in this annual awards program by nominating their outstanding sports scholars. In addition to their athletic ability and academic performance (3.5 cumulative GPA or higher), Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars demonstrate a commitment to community service and student leadership.
Male and female Sports Scholars of the Year were selected from three-finalist lists. Pitts was recognized as one of three male finalists after being deemed a top-20 candidate in 2021. Chou, Sakti and Washington were each announced as her sport’s winner.
Co-founder and president of Asian-American Athletes, a student-athlete group at UCLA, graduate student Chou scored more than 1,000 career points in her career. For her work in the classroom, she was twice named to the Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Senior Sakti, who was also named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar in 2021, matched her personal-best performance of 9.950 on balance beam during the 2022 season. A three-time Women’s College Gymnastics Association Scholastic All-American, she has partnered with organizations like Be The Match and the National Eating Disorders Association in the community.
Washington, a redshirt senior, has made the UCLA Athletic Director’s Honor Roll eight times. She earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team, All-Pac-12 Third Team and NFCA All-Region First Team accolades…
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