MILDRETT NETTER-WHITE Gold Medalist & 2x Olympian Was Alcorn your first choice of HBCU to attend? No, Alcorn was not my first choice. I considered Tennessee State University, but they were not offering a scholarship. I wanted to continue my track career and none of the colleges and universities in Mississippi had a women’s track program. What motivated you to continue to try to achieve despite personal obstacles? Despite being rejected and not given a track scholarship because of my height and being a Mississippian, I was determined to leave the Mississippi Delta from picking and chopping cotton and get an education to make a better life for myself and my family. As a 1968 Gold medalist 4 x 100-meter relay and two time Olympian (1972), how did that change your life coming from Rosedale, Mississippi? The experience, education, exposure, and extensive travel I received prepared me to be successful in life, using my God given talent. After I participated in the Olympics, Alcorn created a women’s track program, and I was the first female to be on the track team and receive a full scholarship. What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome to make the Olympic team? The biggest obstacle I had to overcome, was proving
31
