ATLANTA – The Engaged Athlete Fellowship announced its 2023-24 Fellowship Class, empowering a diverse class of 28 student-athletes to strenghten nonpartisan civic participation on their teams, their campuses and their broader communities. Lipscomb's Scott McKenzie was selected to work closely with esteemed mentors, established coaches, professional athletes and The Team to harness the power of athletics to build great teammates, engaged citizens and committed community members.

"As a non-citizen, promoting civic engagement within Lipscomb's athletic department seemed almost funny at first," McKenzie said. "After utilizng The Team's resources and guides, I taught myself how Americans vote, what the voting processes were and how to engage others in this space." The Melbourne, Australia native is a member of the Lipscomb Bisons' Cross Country and Track teams, where he was named Outdoor Track and Field Third Team All-ASUN. McKenzie also represents the ASUN as Chair for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

The first Engaged Athlete Fellowship class began in August and will operate through June of 2024. Each of the 28 student-athletes will receive a $4,000 stipend for the academic year to participate in the fellowship program, as well as a $2,000 project stipend to execute their own year-long civic project. McKenzie will also attend a year-end multi-day sponsored experience in Washington, D.C., with other student-athletes in the program.

"Student-athletes have this incredibly unique sphere of influence that can invoke such positive change, not just on their campus, but throughout the country and world. Voting is the most fundamental way to create change, and using the student-athlete platform to push civic engagement is paramount to building a better future," McKenzie added. "Having the opportunity of working with The Team has elevated my ability to serve other student-athletes, as well as hopefully knocking at the door of change within the United States."