The Morgan State Athletics Department will begin a new feature on morganstatebears.com that will highlight former student-athletes and their accomplishments in their professional careers and the impact they have made on their communities in their personal lives.
At Morgan State Athletics, we strive to arm our student-athletes with the skills to excel far beyond athletics. The Bear Makers series will provide Morgan State Athletics with the support and resources needed to position our student-athletes to succeed on a broader playing field of success.
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Tawanna Davidson was a 4-year letterwinner on the Morgan State Cheerleaders from 1985-90.
"Tawanna was a feisty young lady with a very competitive nature," said Cheer Bears head coach Theresa Gibson. "Affectionately referred to as "Grumpy Smurf", Tawanna could be depended on to go beyond and above the call of duty with or without a smile."
"She was a good student with a passion for learning new things which has probably served as the basis for the success she is now experiencing in her life today."
Since graduating from Morgan State with a degree in elementary education, Davidson earned an Associates degree in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She currently works as a Lead Management Analyst at the U.S. Department of State Bureau of African Affairs.
Tawanna recently spoke to MorganStateBears.com about her time as a student-athlete at Morgan State and her present life living in Suitland, Maryland.
Q+A with Tawanna:
Q: What years did you attend Morgan State and what sport(s) did you play?
Davidson: I attended Morgan State University 1985 to 1990. I was a cheerleader.
1986
Q: Why did you choose to attend MSU?
Davidson: I selected MSU because I wanted the opportunity to attend a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in close proximity to home.
Q: What was your major at MSU and what year did you graduate?
Davidson: My major was Elementary Education. I graduated in 1990.
Q: Have you obtained a higher level of education since graduating from MSU?
Davidson: Since graduating from MSU, I obtained an Associates Degree in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York.
Q: Where do you currently live and work?
Davidson: I currently reside in the state of Maryland. I am employed by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of African Affairs.
State Department Press Briefing Room.
Q: Did you always know or predict that your career would be in your current profession?
Davidson: No, I did not always know my career would be in my current profession.
Q: How did your time as a student and student-athlete at MSU prepare you for your career and life after college?
Davidson: As an only child and an introvert, I was fortunate to experience sisterhood, team-building, leadership skills, and strengthen my ability to encourage others during my time as a student and student-athlete at MSU. Most of all I inherited the knowledge that who I am is enough and was able to celebrate my ethnicity and race.
Q: What personal or professional accomplishment(s) are you most proud of since you graduated from MSU?
Davidson: I manage a multi-million dollar grants program in sub-Saharan Africa. I am extremely proud to have the opportunity to be part of a program that builds up communities and improves people's lives in underdeveloped locations in Africa. This program finances activities that construct boreholes, water taps, water tanks, pump houses, wells, cisterns and/or showers, classrooms, libraries, shelters, hostels, orphan dormitories, food sheds and health centers.
An alarming amount of young girls either miss school or drop out entirely because of a lack of sanitation. I am fulfilled whenever my program funds sanitation projects within schools, as it decreases the drop-out rate of girls facing the onset of puberty, and the realities of menstruation in a school without latrine, water, privacy.
Q: What is your best advice for current MSU student-athletes?
Davidson: In 2014, I addressed the First-Year Honor Inductee Class at Morgan, as guest speaker. In sharing my career experiences, the title of my speech was "Embrace Every Experience." I would still encourage students to "Embrace Every Experience," good or otherwise. Our experiences shape who we are, what we stand for, our moral compass, and our future.
Q: What is your favorite memory from your time as a Bear?
Davidson: My favorite memory from my time as a Bear was when the cheer team participated in a "Welcome Home" ceremony for a member of Stevie Wonder's management team. Mr. Wonder had a scheduled performance in Baltimore, and a day prior to the show made arrangements to celebrate one of his employees that attended Morgan. We not only cheered at the event, but got to sit at the foot of musician's piano and sing along with him. Ultimately, the squad was invited to attend the show and given backstage passes. This was an experience I will never forget.
Q: Have the relationships you built among your team lasted beyond college?
Davidson: Cheerleaders always consider fellow cheerleaders immediate teammates. However, other student-athletes, particularly the athletes supported by the cheer team are also part of the team. My relationships with my immediate teammates lasted beyond college and relationships with members of other sports have also remained an important part of my life.
Q: When was the last time you had been to campus? How has the campus changed?
Davidson: The last time I visited the campus was during the 2019 Homecoming activities. Outside of the historic buildings on the main campus and the bridge, the campus looks like a totally different place. The campus is beautiful.
Q: What are some things you enjoy doing in your free time?
Davidson: Although I travel to Africa a few times a year for work, I enjoy travel to different countries and regions of the world. My travels have afforded me the opportunity to learn different cultures and traditions and meet people of different ethnicities. My goal is to visit 100 countries; I have 40 countries remaining to reach my goal.
Q: Are you still involved in athletics in some capacity?
Davidson: While I am not currently involved in athletics, from 1994 - 2004 I was a member of USA Boxing. For ten years, I officiated Olympic-style boxing and rose to become a national judge and ultimately the Vice President of USA Boxing, Potomac Valley Association, which covers Washington, DC and Prince Georges and Montgomery counties in Maryland.
All members of USA Boxing are volunteers who elected to donate their time and resources to support the sport.
Q: What motivates you to give back (volunteer, mentor, donate) to MSU Athletics?
Davidson: In general, disenfranchised children motivated me to volunteer my time as a member of USA Boxing, Inc.; ambitious interns motivate me to mentor in the workplace; and causes having an exponential impact for the betterment of people motivate me to donate. Disenfranchisement, ambition, and exponential impact activities motivate me to give back to MSU athletics as well as outside of MSU.
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Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 126 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
