Shadow Creek senior Amai Newman, one of the nation’s top 400-meter runners, has received over $1 million in scholarship offers.
“It feels amazing to be recognized and receive the many scholarship offers,” said Newman. “I started running track when I was six years old with the Houston Pacesetters under Tanya Davis, who holds the UIL 5A conference record in the 100-meter hurdles (13.2) and is a University of Nevada Las Vegas alumni. Coming into my sophomore year of high school, my cousin, Glynn Poullard, started a track team called the H-town Hurricanes so I began running with them.”
Her cousin has been impressed with her growth.
“Amai is a very hard worker. She doesn’t like to lose, so anytime she doesn’t have a good performance, she goes back to practice. She works hard on the track and in the classroom,” said Poullard.
When you talk about trusting the process and betting on yourself Amai fits the description to a tee.
Angel Boyd-Thomas, shadow Creek head track coach
Newman, a four-year varsity letterman in track and field, ran the #2 fastest time in the Nation at the Texas Tech Indoor H.S. Invitational with her AAU 4×400 team, H-Town Hurricanes, with a time of 3:41.09. The relay team featured Cailey Duren of Fort Bend Austin running the first leg, Phoenix Phillips of Summer Creek on the second leg, Amai Newman on the third leg, and Brooke Lloyd of Summer Creek anchoring the fourth leg.
With over $1 million in scholarship offers, Newman’s exceptional track and classroom performance received attention from multiple universities, including Nebraska, Wichita State, Tulane, Colorado State, TCU, University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP), Marshall, Portland, Incarnate Word, and Stephen F. Austin. Ultimately, UTEP’s strong athletic and academic programs, combined with its campus culture, solidified her decision to continue her collegiate journey there.
“UTEP had all the things that I wanted,” said Newman. “They’ve had professional runners come out of their program, Niesha Burgher being one. She ran under Jamaica’s team, and I believe being mentored by her and under coaches that she’s trained with can help me, as well. UTEP has one of the top dental programs in Texas. They recently built new labs, and with me studying dentistry, that’s where I’ll be spending most of my time. They have programs that help prepare you for the dental admission test (DAT), as well as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which I am currently a part of.”
While attending UTEP, Newman plans to pursue a degree in dentistry to become an orthodontist. Growing up in the Third Ward and attending Lucian L. Lockhart Elementary School, she witnessed firsthand the healthcare challenges inner-city children face, inspiring her to make a difference in the field.
“Hygiene has always been a top priority, and I’ve always been passionate about making people smile,” said Newman. “Becoming an orthodontist has been a lifelong dream of mine. I’m driven to provide affordable dental care services to those in need and give back to my community in a meaningful way. There is no greater joy than seeing the transformation in someone’s life when they flash a healthy, confident smile.”
Confident in herself, Newman learned the importance of scholarships early. Her inspiration for applying for scholarships began when she was in the 7th grade while attending McNair Middle School. Under the guidance of Jonathan Thomas, Newman was selected to participate in the Advancement Via Individual Determination program (AVID), a program designed to help middle and high school students prepare for college and careers.
“At that age, I was already learning about the importance of college and the various ways to pay for it: scholarships, loans, and grants. Being part of AVID gave me a head start in understanding the college application process and the importance of preparing for it early on,” said Newman.
In the AVID program, students created resumes and began researching colleges. This allowed Newman to develop an understanding of what colleges were looking for in applicants. She carried this knowledge and experience with her when she started at Shadow Creek High School.
When she entered high school, Newman was familiar with the process and had a foundation to build on. She began to utilize online websites such as Niche, which provided students with direct admissions to different colleges based on their profiles.
“I created a profile on the website and consistently updated my achievements and extracurricular activities, which helped me to gather more scholarship opportunities,” said Newman. “The website also allowed me to explore different colleges and universities, while getting a sense of which ones were a good fit for me. My parents were also a good motivation during this process, making sure I stayed on top of as many scholarships as I could and constantly sending me new scholarships daily to apply for.”
“One thing we did was look at TikTok and researched online,” said Amai’s father, Lemarcus Newman. “We went to a book called 1,001 Scholarships. After that, we made her apply for five scholarships every day.”
Newman’s journey is a testament to her dedication and drive on the track and in the classroom. Her hard work has earned her national recognition and the opportunity to pursue her dreams at UTEP. As she steps into this next chapter, she remains committed to excellence, community impact, and a future in dentistry, proving that perseverance and passion pave the way for success.
About Amai Newman:
Class: 2025
IG: @mymy3doll
Twitter: @amainewman
Races: 200-meter, 400-meter, 4×200-meter relay, 4×400-meter relay
Height & weight: 5-feet-4, 116 pounds
Favorite artists: SZA & Kirk Franklin
Status: Committed to UTEP
Favorite subject: Reading
Shout-outs: Mom, Dad, Coach Mika, Coach Francis, and Coach Griffin
