Meet Our Founder

Jada J. Smith is a Philadelphia native basketball scholar-athlete. She matriculated from Clarion University's Psychology Bachelor of Science Program and currently completed her Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in May of 2023. At Clarion she was a part of the Women's Basketball Team and she served as a member of the Brothers and Sisters in Christ Club, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Psi Chi (The International Honor Society of Psychology) and the President’s Leadership Academy. In 2022-23, she also served as the Presidential Leadership Intern for PennWest Clarion.

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After completing her Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, she decided to pursue her dreams to play Professionally Basketball in Portugal. 

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Jada is proud graduate and active alum of the GESU School, Class of 2013 and Merion Mercy Academy Class of 2017.

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With God at the center, the help of her family and village, hard work and diligence, she has been molded into the person she is today. Her educational experiences prepared her for high school, but also fostered and encouraged her push for purpose. Smith is devoted to giving her time and service back to the community. She roots her philanthropy in advocacy, mentorship, and scholarships primarily on all female athletes and African-American youth however, she is open to support other demographics and work with any team, other non-profits or any project that will benefit community.

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GESU School left a major impression on her Life. As an honors athlete, playing basketball, and running track during her tenure at GESU, she noticed there were not any awards honoring female athletes. She did not wait for anyone to fill this need. She believed it was her responsibility and calling to acknowledge young women who work exceptionally hard in the classroom and in their sport. From this understanding, The Jada J. Smith Distinguished Student-Athlete Award and nonprofit organization S.W.A.G. was conceived. 

 

Jada believes that opportunities should be available and different because young people have too many obstacles that inhibit their access to education, sports, and other activities. Programming, supports and activities that SWAG offers are important because they reinforce character traits that lead to success like self-esteem, self work and strong work ethics.

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When asked what she wants her legacy to be, she states "I want people to say that she impacted the world by helping remove financial barriers that lead to disparities in accessing opportunities and was an advocate for racial, gender and socio-economic equality." 

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