D.C. United and Charlotte Football Club fans boasted with excitement on Sep. 19 at Audi Field as the beat bongo drums echoed throughout the match. Howard University junior Tanbrance Berry said she was just happy to be there.
With college night as the theme for this match, the D.C. United Foundation and the D.C. Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment partnered to award one college student with a surprise $10,000 scholarship. That student — Berry.
“I can’t even put into words how grateful I am for my professors to be speaking about me when I’m not even in the room,” said Berry, a legal communications major from Atlanta. “It means so much that people are believing in me, people are coming up congratulating me; it just means so much.”
Berry was originally invited to the game by Shanell Mosley, the senior director of community impact and executive director of the D.C. United Foundation, whose mission is to “provide youth in the DMV the tools necessary to soar on and off the pitch,” according to the D.C. United Foundation.
According to Mosley, Berry’s professor, Jason Perry, who has a doctorate in educational leadership and management, spoke highly on her behalf.
Berry was able to bring three additional guests for a VIP experience, but she was not aware she would be getting an award.
At the 35th minute, Mosley retrieved Berry and her friends from their seats and brought them down to the field. By halftime, Berry said she was convinced she would be participating in a halftime challenge; instead, she was presented with a jumbo check.
Berry said supporting local students “is very important because D.C. is where all the hard-working students are.”
“I think that every single person here should be recognized as well because they’re all doing great things in different fields,” Berry said.
This game was also an opportunity for other college students to network with sports industry professionals such as D.C. United President of Business Operations Danita Johnson, and receive insight into what it is like to work in the field.
Johnson said that nights like this are important because college is when you can really put your foot in the door.
“My college experience is what got me here today,” Johnson said. “The opportunity to do the scholarship and our goal as an organization and our partners…is to give back to our students and the community, and [that] is exactly what we got to do tonight.”
D.C. Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment Director Latoya Foster said she was ecstatic when Johnson proposed the idea to the office last year. They have since been able to provide DMV youth with resources by donating to local non-profits and supporting local small businesses.
“The idea was to ensure that there was media literacy and that we’re giving our youth every tool and every resource to be successful and prepared for the next generation of sports careers,” Foster said.
Kennedy Cooper, roommate and friend of Berry, said that opportunities like this help to propel historically Black college and university (HBCU) students forward in their aspired careers.
“I’m super happy for [Berry], and I think big organizations like this pouring into college students is critical,” said Cooper, a junior nursing major from Houston. “It’s so important for HBCUs to get the recognition for the hard work they’re doing.”
Jenesis Williams, another Howard student and friend of Berry, said the support students receive is reciprocated through genuine care.
“Bringing more HBCU students or just college students in general shows that you care about us,” said Williams, a junior clinical laboratory science major from Clinton, Mississippi. “If we see that you care for us, we will come out and we’ll show support when it’s needed because you give it back.”
D.C. United suffered a tough 2-1 loss against Charlotte after a late goal from Charlotte winger Allan Saint-Maximin in the 70th minute. Though the match didn’t go in favor of the Talons, this will be a night to remember for Berry.
Copy edited by Daryl R. Thomas Jr.
