Renee Montgomery, a name synonymous with success on and off the basketball court, continues to make an impact with her commitment to education and empowerment. After an 11-year career in the WNBA, Montgomery is using her platform to uplift the next generation of leaders, particularly within Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Through the Renee Montgomery Foundation’s Last Yard Scholarship, she’s tackling one of the most common barriers to graduation: small but crucial financial gaps. Recently, Montgomery, alongside NFL Hall of Famer Champ Bailey, awarded $5,000 in scholarships to two deserving students from Spelman College and Morehouse College, ensuring their dreams don’t fall short of the finish line.
Here’s how the presentation went:
Renee Montgomery: UConn. So, I went to UConn for basketball. We won a championship there. I call myself an HBCU baby because my parents met at an HBCU. They’ve been married for 47 years and counting. I grew up on an HBCU campus because my mom also taught at an HBCU for 30 years after she attended one. One thing I noticed when I went to UConn was that we had every resource known to man. I grew up on a campus where it was more about “getting in the mud” — there weren’t a lot of resources, but I loved it. I loved practicing on that court and being on campus. It got my mind going as I played and eventually became a professional athlete. I played in the WNBA for 11 years, and I thought, “Okay, I want my foundation to really touch people.”
With a lot of foundations, you donate to an organization or corporation, but you don’t really know what happens with that. Sure, it helps people, but I wanted to reach out and help specific individuals. My mom would always tell me that a lot of people don’t graduate because of bills less than $2,000. They would get so close to the finish line, but couldn’t complete their education due to small, unpaid fees. That blew my mind. Imagine doing everything you need to do, getting all the way to the end, and then not being able to graduate because of a small bill.
That’s how the Last Yard Scholarship was born. We wanted to get people to the finish line, to give them that extra push. Today, we have two people we’d like to present checks to from the Renee Montgomery Foundation. We have donors who help us, like Champ Bailey. Do y’all know who Champ Bailey is? Come on, now! Champ Bailey and his foundation collaborated with the Renee Montgomery Foundation, and today we are awarding scholarships to Joseph Davis and Ava McComb. Each will receive $2,500. We’ve got HBCU students from Spelman and Morehouse. Joseph Davis and Ava McComb, come on up here!
Renee Montgomery: We understand you’re already doing the hard part. Did I see pre-med in the audience? Tell me about going to an HBCU. What has that experience done for you?
Joseph Davis: I’d say, coming from Kansas City, where there isn’t much diversity, I attended a really White institution, one of the best in the city. But being around like-minded individuals, like my roommate here who’s also from Kansas City, has been inspiring. We push each other to be better every day, even when we don’t feel like it. Even when we’re tired, we remind each other, “No, you’ve got to get up and be great.” That’s what I really value about HBCUs. Sure, everyone is Black, but it’s also about what else you bring to your personality. That’s what the HBCU experience gives you.
Renee Montgomery: Love that. Give it up for him! As an athlete, I like this energy from the crowd!
Ava McComb: I’d say the same thing. For me, before coming to Spelman, I struggled with knowing my worth and what I truly deserved. Being at Spelman has helped reframe my mindset. Like you said, being surrounded by like-minded people helps you really discover who you are, and it’s taught me to love myself. Opportunities like this are so important.
Renee Montgomery: I see a lot of pearls here. Are you … are you an AKA? Oh, okay! I was going to ask because my sister and family are, so I just wanted to check. We’ve got some AKAs in the building, of course! I see one right there! We’ve also got some Deltas, right? Okay, listen, the Divine Nine is in the building. Shoutout to the Divine Nine and the Atlanta Dream. We even have a Divine Nine Day because we like to show love. On behalf of the Renee Montgomery Foundation, Emerging 100, and the Champ Bailey Foundation, we would like to present Joseph Davis and Ava McComb each with $2,500, totaling a $5,000 check from the Last Yard Scholarship. Thank you.
