At the Gatorade Player of the Year Awards, two athletes from South Dakota State University, Myah Selland and Tori Nelson, were granted $25,000 for their nonprofit organization called Her Turn.
Selland and Nelson, who are both players for the SDSU women’s basketball team and co-founders of Her Turn, accepted the Gatorade Community Grant Award in Los Angeles. Selland’s previous recognition as the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2016-17 made her eligible for this award.
Her Turn recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. The nonprofit was established by Selland and Nelson with the goal of offering scholarships to middle school girls in the Brookings community, enabling them to attend SDSU athletic camps without any financial burden.
During this summer, Her Turn awarded 18 scholarships to girls in 6th to 8th grade from Brookings. These girls had the opportunity to participate in various sports camps, such as basketball, volleyball, wrestling, soccer, or wrestling, held throughout June and July. Nelson mentioned that the cost for a girl to attend a single camp is approximately $500.
In addition to covering the camp fees, Her Turn provides athletic gear such as shoes, backpacks, balls, shin guards, and water bottles for the girls. The organization also takes care of admission fees and transportation to the camps.
Selland recently completed her final year at SDSU and will be heading to Spain in September to play professional basketball for BAXI Ferrol. Meanwhile, Nelson has one more year remaining at SDSU.