Fierce Like Sophia Scholarship

• The applying student must:

  • Be a female basketball player attending or planning to attend Thunder Ridge High School located in Highlands Ranch, CO.

  • Actively participate on a competitive basketball team

  • Be very coachable and recommended by their current coach.  

  • Be between 12 and 17 years of age

  • Be available and willing to attend practice sessions 2-3 times a week for 2 hours per day.  Must have reliable transportation and/or a ride.

  • Earn and maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA) while a recipient of the scholarship

• Submit an application online at www.fiercelikesophia.com (by filling out the form below)

• Provide a 500 word or less written submission where applicants can discuss topics that align with Sophia’s character, such as:

  • Overcoming obstacles

  • Teamwork

  • Competitiveness

  • The impact of basketball on their life

  • Their future goals

  • How they demonstrate the qualities that defined the player being honored

• Provide a letter of recommendation from a current coach.  The letter must attest to the coachability and work ethic of the applicant.

This section outlines how recipients will be chosen to ensure the process is fair and transparent. 

• Applicants will be reviewed by a committee of family members, friends, high school basketball coaches, and community members. To ensure fairness, committee members should not be related to any applicants.

• The committee should evaluate applicants based on characteristics that were important to Sophia such as:

  • Work ethic

  • Sportsmanship

  • Leadership

  • Fierceness

• The scholarship will cover the monthly fee for 12 months for the player to attend The Edge, a group of personal coaching run by Mike O’Connell.  The monthly fee will be paid directly to The Edge from the Fierce Like Sophia Foundation