Michelle Nwokedi

Classroom

Michelle Nwokedi is a marketing & communications major within the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. She’s been named a 2017 Ivy League Winter Academic All-Ivy honoree for holding a 3.0+ GPA as well as excelling in athletics during her junior season. This past summer, Nwokedi interned with the Fox Network Group in New York City as an ad sales intern and is interested in working in the sports industry in sales or marketing upon graduation.

Character

Nwokedi is the type of person and player that everyone wants to be around and was elected as a team captain for the 2017-18 season by her teammates and coaches. She works extremely hard every day, and through example she is always pushing those around her to be better. Even though she has accomplished so many individual feats, she always puts the team’s success before her own and is someone whom the coaches can always rely on to do things the right way both on and off the court. She’s a social and fun person to be around, which helps the team dynamic.

According to the women’s basketball team, Nwokedi is incredibly helpful on the court, never slacks off and is a good presence at all times. She not only leads with an incredibly strong example, but she goes out of her way to help her teammates. Her confidence and surety makes them all more efficient players.

Community

Nwokedi has been involved with several community service efforts during her time with Penn. As a Houston native, she began a Hurricane Harvey Relief Campaign that has raised over $3,500 for the Greater Houston Community Foundation and has also been an active participant in SPIN (Special People in Northeast), raising funds and teaching adults with autism and intellectual disability the game of basketball through competition. She’s active in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program through which she mentors youth every week as a positive role model, tutor and basketball coach.

On campus, Nwokedi is a member of the FRIARS Senior Society where she’s been chosen by her peers as one of 25 influential leaders on campus. Through the society, she’s a “Sister of Social Media” utilizing her creative abilities to develop content.

She also participates in tri-yearly campaigns focused on helping the local Philadelphia community and has been a participant in PAL (Police Athletic League) Day at The Palestra, which is a yearly event that invites hundreds of Philadelphia school children to be active and learn basketball from Penn student-athletes on President’s Day.

Competition

Nwokedi has been a four-year starter for the Quakers and has amassed numerous records during her time at Penn. She’s the reigning 2016-17 Ivy League Player of the Year, 2017 Ivy League Tournament Most Outstanding Player, a 2016-17 unanimous First Team All-Ivy selection, and a First Team All-Big 5 honoree. Additionally, she was the 2014-15 Ivy League Rookie of the Year and is a two-time all-conference honoree. She led the Quakers to back-to-back Ivy League championships in 2016 and 2017 as well as two NCAA Tournament berths and three consecutive postseason tournament appearances. In 2016-17, Nwokedi became the 22nd player in Penn history to eclipse the 1,000 point milestone and, as of nomination time, has 1,140 points in three seasons, placing her 11th on the all-time points list at Penn. Nwokedi is fourth all-time in Penn history with 32 double-doubles in her career, sixth all-time with 777 career rebounds, and second all-time with 236 career blocks. As of nomination time, her career stats stand as follows: 89GP/70GS, 2,485 minutes, .417 FGP, .331 3-FGP, 777 rebounds, 165 assists, 236 blocks, 1,140 points.