The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation has chosen their inaugural class for the Charley Pride Fellowship Program and the list includes three North Texans.
The Charley Pride Fellowship Program Class of 2021 includes Kendall Coleman of Rockwall, a junior at the University of North Carolina; Cornysia Island, of Lancaster, a junior at Fisk University; and UTA student Neemekh Mudvari from Puebla Mexico. The other two fellows are Jordan Thomas, of New Orleans, a graduate student at Temple University; and Ashley Go, of Vienna, Virginia, a senior at American University.
The paid fellowship runs for 10 weeks through three front office departments. Accepted fellows will select their rotations based on their interests and they can choose from the following departments: IT Operations & Applications, Sports & Entertainment, Baseball Operations, Partnerships & Client Services, Communications, Marketing, Ballpark Entertainment, Promotions & Production, Ticket Sales & Service, and Business Analytics & Ticket Strategy.
The fellows will observe firsthand what front office executives experience and deal with on a daily basis while being introduced to the business of baseball.
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Pride, who played in the Negro American League and minor leagues before launching his legendary Country Music singing career, was a longtime fan of the team before becoming part of an ownership group with a stake in the club.
Leading up to his death last December at the age of 86, Pride worked with The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation to establish this fellowship that will help "create a launching pad for students from diverse backgrounds looking to gain baseball front office experience."
The creation of the program was announced on March 18 on what would have been Pride's 87th birthday.
Texas Rangers - World Series Champions
The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and the Parrish Charitable Foundation of prominent Dallas businessman Roland Parrish are partnering on the Charley Pride Fellowship Program. The initiative was also created with input from Pride's family, including his wife Rozene Pride.
"This program is something that I feel that the Texas Rangers need and I'm so glad to see them do it and name it for Charley. He loved the Texas Rangers," said Rozene Pride, during a call announcing the fellowship in March. "The young men and women who will benefit from the program I'm sure will gain a lot of knowledge and experience from it. It's something that we can all say is wonderful for the community, because we need diversity in all organizations."
Information on the application process for the 2022 Charley Pride Fellowship Program will be announced later this year. More information can be found at texasrangers.com/foundation.
