Update:
This story from May is being republished because Marshall has announced her retirement from the Mavericks.
Mavericks CEO to first-generation college graduates: ‘Take the shot’
Mavs’ Cynt Marshall gave advice to North Texans who are the first in their families to earn a degree
“Don’t be afraid to take the shot,” Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, told dozens of first-generation college graduates Monday.
“The shot” was a reference to the basketballs she gifted the graduates; to the pandemic that marked their college careers; to the musical Hamilton; and to the nonprofit ScholarShot. The North Texas organization provided resources and scholarships to the students at the luncheon, who were the first in their families to pursue post-secondary degrees.
But above all else, “the shot” is “an opportunity for a better life for you and your family,” Marshall said during the event at the Dallas Country Club.
A first-generation graduate, Marshall described herself as being a “poor little girl” from Richmond, Calif., who was a victim of domestic violence. Her mother taught her at an early age that education was a ticket out of poverty.
“Not everyone gets to be the first in their family to go to college. Not everybody gets to blaze that trail. Scholars, you have been chosen to blaze that trail,” she said.
Among them was Rachael Royal-Williams.
The 51-year-old’s dream of attending college was put on hold when she started a family right after high school. Twenty years later, after her son was killed in Michigan during a trip to visit his father, she was determined to go back to school.
“I really had to reevaluate where my life was going,” Royal-Williams said. “Lots of people thought I was crazy.”
She started attending Dallas College in 2012. Within the first month, she got a job at the El Centro campus. For the next few years, Royal-Williams worked full time and took two classes per semester.
Eventually she transferred to the University of North Texas at Dallas. But before finishing her bachelor’s degree, she ran out of the financial aid and loans she qualified for.
“I was devastated because I was halfway through my degree with no funding and really no way to figure out how to get it done,” she said.
It was through a mentor that Royal-Williams learned about ScholarShot in 2019. Initially, she worried she wouldn’t qualify for the scholarship because she’s a nontraditional student. But she went ahead with her application.
Now, 12 years after her first community college class, Royal-Williams earned a bachelor’s in psychology from UNT Dallas and was accepted into graduate school. Her next dream is to be a mental health counselor for college students.
The mother of six now brags that all of them are pursuing higher education.
“They always tell me that just watching me and seeing me pursue my education with all the things that I had on my plate made them say there’s absolutely no reason why they can’t do it,” she said.
Dan Hopper, ScholarShot founder and executive director, said that only 22% of high school graduates in Texas earn a postsecondary degree. By supporting first-generation students, he said, his organization helps the state grow its workforce.
The nonprofit helps financially but also provides each student with an academic manager who helps them throughout their college journey, from degree planning to navigating life challenges.
As Marshall delivered her speech, she asked the graduates to hold the Mavericks basketballs she gifted them and to write a few words on the balls.
“As you start to think about what’s next and start to take the shot, think about this ball as a collection of choices that you get to hold each day,” Marshall said. “I want you to write the word choices.”
Camilla Loera promptly picked up her basketball and wrote down words.
The 21-year-old kept thinking about her fourth grade math teacher — her inspiration.
Loera earned a bachelor’s in education from the University of Texas at Arlington and soon is going to start her teaching career as a math teacher in the same charter school she attended as student.
She said the support from ScholarShot allowed her to focus on becoming the best teacher she could since her training lasted the entire school day and left little time for a job.
“That financial support really helped me get through the semester without having to worry about where I am going to get money to pay my bills or where I am going to get money to pay my gas,” she said.
Marshall, whose team is going to the Western Conference finals, praised ScholarShot for helping students realize they can accomplish their dreams.
“I was one of those ‘at-risk’ youth,” she told The Dallas Morning News. “But truly what I was taught is that I was at risk of greatness, at risk of being a doctor, lawyer, engineer, CEO of the Mavs.”
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
