Sugar Rodgers

Classroom

Rodgers is someone who came to Georgetown unprepared for college-level work, especially at an institution as rigorous as Georgetown. Not only did she work exceptionally hard to get herself where she needs to be, but she began to understand what her education meant.  It is no longer about getting a degree for her, it has become about knowledge and becoming the person she wants to be.  Rodgers went from a poor student in high school to someone who has gotten 3.0’s during some semesters here at Georgetown and could graduate in December if she wanted to.  Her goal this season is to bump up her cum GPA to make BIG EAST Academic All-Star.

Character

Rodgers came from a tough situation.  She lost her mother early in high school and bounced from house to house of friends and relatives throughout high school, never sure where she would lay her head the next night.  Coming to Georgetown got her out of a situation where she has said herself she probably wouldn’t have finished high school.  Instead, she is now a more educated, well-traveled and more outgoing person with amazing self confidence and an incredible amount of compassion. Watching her go from a shy freshman, afraid to talk to the media or teammates to the team’s leader and spokesperson has been incredible.  Everyone at Georgetown is proud of the person she has become and looks forward to what the future has in store for her.  One of the most telling things about Rodgers is how homesick she was when she came to DC.  She tried to leave and go back to Suffolk, Va., as soon as she set foot on campus.  Now as a senior, she goes back to see family and friends, but she has seen so much of the world and is committed to making more of herself.  She isn’t doing this just for her, it is a thank you and in memory of so many people that have supported her along the way. When she walks across the stage with a diploma in hand, she will be graduating for all of those people that she affected along the way.

Community

Rodgers is active in the community and has become more active as she has made herself more a part of the DC landscape.  With the team, she does volunteer work at So Others May Eat as well as talking with elementary school and middle school children in public schools throughout the city.  She has participated in clinics and camps to teach you and recently represented Georgetown at a Title IX event.  She prefers to make her biggest impact through children.  She loves working with them and enjoys teaching them the game she loves.  Rodgers’s favorite class in high school was sign language.  It may have to do with how shy she was that this form of communication appealed to her.  She has done unpaid internships and worked with students and players at Gallaudet University, a deaf school and college in NE Washington.  She volunteers her time teaching basketball, while honing her sign language skills.

Competition

Rodgers is a three-time AP Honorable Mention All-American and a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American.  Rodgers has been a First Team All-BIG EAST honoree for the past three seasons and will soon become the career scoring leader at Georgetown.