Balancing academics and athletics isn't easy, but Judith, a St Jude’s alum and university scholar, is excelling at both. She is currently one of the top-performing students in her university, with an impressive GPA of 3.8 out of 4, and an ace basketball player who has won national and international awards on multiple occasions. Despite her rising stardom and flourishing career opportunities, Judith still remembers where it all began.
“It was at St Jude’s that I was first exposed to a lot of sports and opportunities that laid a foundation for my academic and basketball journey,” reflects Judith.
A novice player when she joined St Jude’s, Judith became an instant sensation on the basketball court and quickly rose through the ranks, participating in national and international competitions. Her dedication to sports and impressive academic track record earned her an international scholarship at the United States International University - Africa (USIU) in neighbouring Kenya.
“While at university, I wasted no time and joined the basketball team which was already making waves in the highly competitive Kenya Division One league,” says Judith.
She quickly became a regular starter and key player on the team. Within two years, Judith helped her team win the Division One championship, secure a promotion to the Kenyan Premier League, and qualify for the world university championships.
“Qualifying for the world university championships was huge as it’s one of the highest university sports competitions in the world,” explains Judith. “Playing basketball on the world stage was a dream come true for me and it wasn’t long before scouts began taking notice of my talent,” she adds.
Judith was recruited by Equity Bank basketball club, a Kenyan Premier League powerhouse making her the team’s youngest player. In her first season, Judith played at the Africa Women's Basketball League (AWBL), one of the highest club competitions for African teams.
“One of my great moments during the competition was when I scored a three-pointer at the buzzer, earning my team a crucial win in a game that was tied at 73 with only five seconds to go!” says Judith. “I was also the top scorer of the game with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists,” she adds proudly.
As of 2024, Judith is currently the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Kenya Universities Sports Association (KUSA) competitions, solidifying her promising basketball career. Despite her success on the basketball court, Judith continues to excel at her academics. She maintains an impressive academic record and has been on the Dean’s List (students with outstanding GPAs) since her enrolment at the university.
“Out of almost 40 Tanzanian scholarship recipients at her university, Judith consistently ranks number one academically, followed by Agnes, also a St Jude’s alum,” says Vivian, St Jude’s Special Programs Senior Manager, who looks after the Beyond St Jude’s Scholarship program.
“She is a great example to students back at St Jude’s that they too can excel at both sports and academics,” she adds.
Judith is also a proud ambassador of St Jude’s wherever she goes and a great example of the school’s motto: challenge yourself. Her dedication, hard work and incredible discipline leaves behind a legacy for many aspiring students to follow her trail.
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How exciting it was to read about Judith's wonderful success in basketball. It took me back to 2010 when, as an avid basketball fan in Australia, I wanted to bring the game to the students at The School of St Jude. We managed to get a basketball court set up in the school and I can still remember the first day with dozens of very excited kids, a very basic court, 1 ball and me!!! I was confident they would love this game and be good at it with their innate athleticism and enthusiasm.
Judith you are clearly an amazing athlete and very talented basketballer with a huge future ahead of you. Congratulations on your success in this fabulous game and also on your academic achievements. I will watch for you and will not be surprised to see you in the American WNBA in the future (or you may like to journey to Australia to compete in the WBL). I wish you every success in both your basketball career and with your studies - cheers, Pam
Inspiring words Pam, wonderful to hear the early days of basketball at St Jude's. Judith's story is a testament of how much your vision has grown since 2010. Much more inspiring atheletes are coming!