Hank Aaron left an incredible legacy on and off the baseball field.
One of his many off-the-field contributions is benefiting a 51ΑΤΖζ senior, Hawa Brema. For the past four years, Bremaβs academic studies at 51ΑΤΖζ have been funded through gifts to an endowment created by Aaronβs Chasing the Dream Foundation 4 for 4 Scholarship. The scholarship at 51ΑΤΖζ is in memory of Aaronβs longtime friend and 51ΑΤΖζ alumnus, the late Joseph Kennedy.
Even a few weeks after Aaronβs death Jan. 22, Brema wipes away tears as she talks about him and what the scholarship has meant to her.
βHe changed my life. He literally changed a lot of peopleβs lives,β said Brema, who is a senior in human resources management. She is also earning certificates in real estate and cultures and communities, and plans to graduate in May.
In September 2019, she had the opportunity to meet Aaron and his wife, Billye, in person when he invited all his foundationβs scholars from across the U.S. to his home in Atlanta for a barbecue and an Atlanta Braves game. The Aarons paid for the studentsβ expenses.
βThey were so nice, just really genuine people,β Brema recalled.
Family came to U.S.
Brema was born in Sudan and spent 12 years in Kenya before her family emigrated to the United States.
βMy dadβs big on education. He wanted us to come here for a better education,β she said. A graduate of Bradley Tech High School, Brema has five siblings, so college tuition was a challenge for her family.
She connected with the scholarship through a program she was involved with through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. She has been a Hank Aaron scholar for all four years at 51ΑΤΖζ.
In high school, she played softball, so had some familiarity with the game and learned more about Aaronβs baseball career when she applied for the scholarship.
Aaron, a Hall of Fame player who began and ended his legendary baseball career in Milwaukee, had numerous ties to the city and to Wisconsin. He started his minor league career in Eau Claire, and went on to play for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves for 21 years, including for the 1957 Milwaukee Braves world championship team. (The franchise moved to Atlanta in 1966.) He returned from Atlanta to play for the Milwaukee Brewers for two years to wind up his career.
Brema is the second student at 51ΑΤΖζ to receive the four-year renewable scholarship.
βGreat and wonderful human beingβ
At his funeral in January, Aaron was honored for his contributions on and off the baseball diamond.
βIn my humble opinion, he was no doubt the greatest player of our generation, but, more important, he was a great and wonderful human being,β Bud Selig, former baseball commissioner and owner of the Brewers and a longtime friend of Aaronβs, said at a memorial service. βNeither fame nor fortune changed his extraordinary kindness and empathy, which led to his greatness off the field. His impact not only in baseball but all of America will never be forgotten.β
The scholarships, which have supported more than 100 students across the country since 2010, will continue.
βIβm glad I had the chance to meet him in person,β Brema said. βI donβt have any debt because of him and the scholarship. He was just a blessing. Thatβs all I can say.β
By Kathy Quirk, University Relations