App State’s Maxwell Schwanz honored as Rick Bonnell Memorial Scholarship winner
Maxwell Schwanz was in his sophomore year of high school, happily a member of the basketball team when his career path slowly started coming into focus.
“I realized I’m not going to the NBA and I didn’t really know what else I was going to do,” said Schwanz, now a junior at Appalachian State University. “And one of my teachers at the time, her name is Ms. Kavicchia — she’s one of my favorite teachers ever — told me to sign up for her journalism class and yearbook class junior and senior year.
“I kind of started writing about sports and then didn’t look back from there.”
Schwanz was recognized Saturday as the fifth recipient of the annual Rick Bonnell Memorial Scholarship during the Charlotte Hornets’ matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies. Created to honor the legacy and impact of late Charlotte Observer Hornets beat writer Rick Bonnell, the scholarship awards $10,000 annually via the Hornets Foundation to a journalism student enrolled at a university or college in North Carolina.
“The number of talented students who apply for the Rick Bonnell Memorial Scholarship never ceases to impress us,” Claire and Jack Bonnell said. “In a highly competitive applicant pool, Maxwell stood out from the other candidates. Maxwell’s drive, commitment to quality journalism and development of intentional career goals were inspiring.
“We are proud to select Maxwell as the fifth recipient of the Rick Bonnell Memorial Scholarship and wish him success as he pursues his career in journalism.”
Schwanz took part in an on-court presentation alongside Bonnell’s daughter, Claire, The Charlotte Observer’s executive sports editor Lydia Craver and Charlotte Hornets Foundation director Whitney Tarver.
“It’s amazing,” Schwanz said of claiming the honor. “There’s only been five people and out of 100 applicants, I was chosen. It’s just a blessing, really, with all the stuff that comes with it. With the mentorship and then the money, obviously, but it’s going to lead to better and bigger opportunities. So, I’m just really excited and blessed.”
At Appalachian State, Schwanz serves as sports editor for The Appalachian, the university’s student-run newspaper, and has authored nearly 100 bylines. It’s a continuation of his initial experience in sports journalism, which came in middle school when he was a broadcaster for the school’s sports teams prior to shifting a focus to print journalism after high school.
Schwanz, a native of Cornelius, covers Appalachian State football for NC Football News and also had a role in connecting the Watauga Democrat, which is a weekly newspaper published in Boone.
Future ambitions include writing professionally at any level, whether it’s the NBA, college or smaller leagues such as minor league baseball or G League basketball. He also has a deeper mission in mind that goes beyond writing about strategy and player transactions.
“One of the big things that I really enjoy as part of my journey is big mental health awareness for athletes,” Schwanz said. “And I really hope one day I get to the point and can be secure where I can do something where I’m interviewing all these athletes about their mental health and how they deal with it, so that hopefully a younger athlete could read it and be like, ‘Ok, they go through this also. Here’s some things that I can do to help me in my journey.’”
