Agganis scholar Nwaogu used her brains on the hoop hardwood

More times than not the Agganis Scholarship awards high school athletes who also excel in the classroom. Still, the nomination starts with the athletics.In the case of Ngozi Nwaogu, it seems the scholar started with the classroom and then moved onto the basketball court.Nwaogu played four years of basketball for English, working hard from when she started right through to the last practice of the season. This past year was one of the better seasons for the Bulldogs, in part because of Nwaogu’s contributions on the court.”With basketball it is something which I wanted to do to challenge myself,” said Nwaogu. “I’ve been good different things in the past, but basketball was something I really needed to push myself in. I really enjoyed working hard and trying to improve my skills.”Still, it is the classroom where Nwaogu is the true star.Graduating fifth in her class at English, Nwaogu has been involved with student government for all four year, is not only a member of but also the secretary of the English chapter of the National Honor Society. She has been playing the flute since she was in fourth grade, and joined the gospel choir her senior year ‘just for fun’. P.S. Nwaogu is also the Editor-In-Chief of the English yearbook this past season. Considering all of the other activities Nwaogu is involved with, cutting out time to devote to basketball is an accomplishment itself.Where has all of this got Nwaogu? You can start with Harvard University, where she will be attending starting this fall.”I am really looking forward to experiencing different things at Harvard,” said Nwaogu. “There is so much there that I am undecided as a major. I really just want to see what is offered and then pick something I really like.”Nwaogu enjoys classes like English and mathematics. She finds just as much of a rush in solving a calculus problem as she does in running the court on a fast break.”The challenge with basketball is different from a calc problem. With basketball the challenge is playing defense; with calculus the challenge is solving the puzzle and knowing there are several different ways to get to the answer,” said Nwaogu.When Nwaogu was notified she was one of the recipient’s of the Agganis Scholarship, she was honored and very grateful.”Knowing what (Agganis) was able to accomplish and what happened with him just makes the honor of this award that much greater,” said Nwaogu. “I really feel very grateful for it, knowing it is in his name.”Nwaogu is undecided if she will play basketball for the Crimson this fall, saying she would ‘if anything, play some intramural sports’. What is decided is sometimes it is the athlete who gets a wink for their classroom efforts, and other times it is the academic who gets a nod for their athletic endeavors.This is the final story on the 2008 Lynn-area Agganis scholarship winners. Since its inception in 1955, the Agganis Foundation has awarded $1,253,525 in college scholarships to 798 student-athletes.