2 Sun Devils receive support to win prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
Photo by Chris Goulet/ASU News
When Gigi Gaspar was applying for the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, she knew she couldn’t only depend on her stellar career as an Arizona State University student-athlete to win the award.
“Because it’s a scholarship for student-athletes, you couldn’t just put ‘student-athlete’ down and it would put you above the other competitors,” said Gaspar, who played lacrosse at ASU.
“Just saying you were super good at your sport wouldn’t get you the scholarship.”
So Gaspar — who did win the scholarship — got help with her application from Shay Masterson, program manager in The Lorraine W. Frank Office of National Scholarships Advisement at ASU.
“Shay helped me with how to stand out from the competition and from all the All-American and national champion athletes that have also been successful in their sports,” she said.
“It took a lot of revising.”
Gaspar, who graduated from ASU with a bachelor’s degree in finance in May, won the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, a $10,000 award given to 126 student-athletes per year, along with fellow Sun Devil Ryggs Johnston, who played golf and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in management in May 2023.
Both were named Pac-12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year in their respective sports during their senior year.
Gaspar is pursuing a master’s degree in sports law and business in the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU, and Johnston is in the Master of Leadership and Management degree program at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU.
The Office of National Scholarships Advisement and Sun Devil Athletics began collaborating last year to support student-athletes who are applying for big scholarships, like the NCAA Postgraduate. Sun Devil Athletics nominates students for that award and helps the nominees acquire references and stick to a timeline. Then Masterson connects with those students to provide more intensive support and feedback on their personal statement.
She meets with the student-athletes who are nominated by Sun Devil Athletes for a personalized approach.
“I’m trying to learn more about them before I dive into the essay and I share with them specific suggestions based on what they’ve shared with me,” she said.
She reviewed two drafts of the personal statement essay for both Gaspar and Johnston, and then provided feedback and other tips and suggestions — including any other scholarships they might be eligible for.
“It’s also a way for us to connect students who have excelled both athletically and academically with other national scholarships generally,” Masterson said.
“We’re a piece of the puzzle to support them, in addition to their advisers in Sun Devil Athletics."
Kelli Benjamin is the assistant director of championship life in Sun Devil Athletics, with a dual role as an academic coach for the football players and also as career development coordinator.
“I oversee life after sport for all of the student-athletes, and that pertains to internships, full-time jobs, postgraduate study — all the different opportunities,” she said.
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners are “pretty much the rock stars of the rock stars,” said Benjamin, who graduated from ASU with a master’s degree in sports law and business in 2018 and was a swimmer at Texas A&M University.
Benjamin said the Office of National Scholarships Advisement is a good resource for applicants.
“They can have multiple eyes on their application and get all the great insight from that office to make sure it will make them competitive,” she said.
Johnston spent the summer competing on the PGA Tour America.
“I’m glad I took it seriously and gave it my best effort,” he said of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, which is funding the second year of his master’s program.
“I’m hoping to be on the PGA Tour for awhile but you never know, and it’s always nice to have a master’s degree as a backup.”
Gaspar, who would like to eventually work in the front office of a professional sports team, said the application process was grueling but rewarding.
“The whole process of making a personal statement and reaching out for references was valuable,” she said.
“It was a very reflective process and I would not have come close to getting the scholarship without all the support.”
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