MAUI, Hawaii – Emily Ward of the LSU Women’s Basketball team graduated from LSU’s Manship School with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication with a concentration in digital advertising while minoring in business.
Ward is a four-year member of the women’s basketball team who joined the program ahead of the 2019-20 season as a walk-on. At shootaround on the day of LSU’s season opener this year, Coach Kim Mulkey surprised Ward with a scholarship for her final season.
Throughout her career, Ward has represented LSU with class and excellence off the court. For the past two seasons, Ward has represented LSU Women’s Basketball on the SEC Basketball Leadership Basketball Leadership Council. Last year the council meeting was virtual, and this year Ward travelled to Birmingham in September for a day of meetings at the SEC offices.
Ward was a member of numerous groups at LSU, including the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and with LSU’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). She has also been LSU’s student-athlete advisory committee with Tiger Life, working to create an environment where all student-athletes have the opportunity to maximize their academic, athletic, personal, and social growth and improve their post-college quality of life.
On the court, Ward has appeared in 21 games. During LSU’s game against Western Caroline earlier this season she scored a career-high 8 points and grabbed a career-high 3 rebounds.
“Emily has been a non-scholarship member of the women’s basketball team for the past 3 years and not once has she wavered in her commitment to both her sport and her academics,” said Carole Walker, a senior associate director at the Cox Communications Center for Student-Athletes who works with the women’s basketball program. “She is a leader, a very positive person and has always been the biggest fan of her own teammates despite not seeing much playing time in her first three years.
“All of Emily’s hard work has finally paid off and is now on a full athletic scholarship. Emily will graduate this December and start graduate school in the spring pursing a Master of Science in Leadership & Human Resource Development.”