RICHARDSON, TX (05.08.18) - UT Dallas women's basketball student-athlete Megan Badejo added another honor to her list of accomplishments Tuesday morning as she was presented UTD's Outstanding Undergraduate Award at the university's Honors Convocation prior to this week's graduation ceremonies.

A native of Arlington, Badejo will graduate UTD summa cum laude at a ceremony Friday at 11 a.m. with her bachelor's degree in Healthcare Studies, where she will also serve as the commencement speaker. Badejo will attend medical school at Texas A&M College of Medicine, starting this summer.

The purpose of the award is to provide public recognition in the form of a monetary award to an outstanding senior student graduating each year from UT Dallas. The recipient of this award is a senior student judged to have best demonstrated during his/her undergraduate career at UT Dallas those qualities of leadership, commitment, perseverance, creativity, and service to community. Badejo was be presented the award is valued at $5,000 and a plaque.

A member of two American Southwest Conference championship squads during her career, Badejo played four seasons with the Comets' women's basketball team. While an undergrad, she was active with the UTD Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), serving as vice president for two years and as president as a senior. 

"Megan is an excellent representative of maturity and sportsmanship with a complete understanding that competing at the highest level should never be at the cost of personal morals or values," said Angela Marin, UTD's Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator. "She is a proven leader to her teammates and possesses the initiative and communication skills needed to successfully lead a high-level program. Megan is the type of teammate that others trust and seek her guidance and advice and is consistent in her leadership role and is a value to her team and this department."

In her role with SAAC, she organized her team's community service efforts and has provided opportunities to her teammates through these efforts that they would not otherwise experience. Megan and her teammates have consistently collaborated with Special Olympics Texas, Hope's Door, Leukemia Texas and Austin Street Homeless Shelter. 

To be eligible for this award, a student must display to a high degree those admirable personal traits, rank academically in the upper quarter of his/her class at the end of his/her undergraduate curriculum, have completed more than one-half of his/her undergraduate degree requirements at UTD, occupy or have held positions of leadership in one or more major student organizations and/or in state or nationally recognized student organizations, be a candidate for a baccalaureate degree during the current academic year and be nominated by a UTD faculty or staff member.