Nevaeh Parkinson is a senior on the UC Irvine women's basketball team. She transferred to UCI last year and made an immediate impact, helping the Anteaters to the first Big West regular season championship in program history. Nevaeh was named the league's Best Sixth Player and also earned an all-conference honorable mention nod. This season, the 6-foot-3 center is averaging 8.4 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game.
 
In the latest edition of our Q&A series, we sat down with Nevaeh to talk about what Black History Month means to her, being a role model to younger generations, her future goals and more.
   
What does Black History Month mean to you?
It's a representation of how the Black community has pushed forward and broken boundaries. When I think of Black History Month, I think of the culture and all the contributions African Americans have made. It shows the importance of the African American community and how valuable we are, and also how valuable we are to each other.
 
Why is it important we celebrate Black History Month?
I think a lot of times in our society minorities aren't supported, especially the Black community. Even though the month is not long enough and Black people should be supported all the time, I think this month is a representation of no matter what people say or think about us, we are important, we are here and there are a lot of things we contribute to the world. It's another reminder of why we should be represented as equally as anyone else.
 
Who are some Black leaders that have inspired you?
I would say A'ja Wilson and Jalen Hurts because they embody the mentality I want and strive for. With Jalen Hurts, he's so focused and tuned in and he's also not afraid to express his religion and those are qualities I aspire to have. With A'ja Wilson, she is just so confident in who she is and doesn't try to dim her light for anyone else. She owns who she is and has the mentality of I'm going to do it regardless of what anybody says; regardless of how anyone feels about me. I think those two are people I aspire to be like.
 
How about people in your life that you look up to?
I would say my mom because she embodies what it means to be a Black woman. The strength, the courage, the fight and just the wanting to win, wanting to support and wanting to love - she embodies all of that. When I think of the qualities of Black women, I think of my mom because she has all of them. I aspire to be like her. The reason I play basketball is because of her, so I would say she is the most influential person in my life.
 
Do you feel any responsibility to be a role model for younger generations?
Yes, especially being on a college basketball team. I think a lot of people look up to me and my teammates. For me, with my background and being a Black woman, we often get degraded just for being who we are. I think it's important for me to be here, be able to stand up for what I believe in and not change because of what people may think. Sometimes people might say she's being too loud or she needs to stop being ghetto, but so many other athletes do the same thing and they are perceived differently. You are who you are, and I think that just me going out there and being myself is showing the younger generation that you don't have to put yourself in a box in order to be great.
 
Have you been involved at all with UCI's Black Student-Athlete Alliance?
Yes, I went to a couple meetings. I can't always make it because of our schedule but I have also been in touch with the Black Student Ministries group and the Black Student Union on campus. I try to go to those events and support as much as I can because there aren't a lot of African Americans on campus. I try to integrate myself with those groups because we need more people to want to come to UCI and also to just show the University that we are committed and need their support.
 
You are in your second year as a student-athlete at UC Irvine. What have been some of your favorite moments as an Anteater?
I would say winning the regular season championship last year. I had won before at my previous school, but this one meant a little more to me because it's the first time I felt like I contributed to the team and contributed to the success. Even though it was a hard season last year, that was one of my favorite moments because I felt really connected and in tune with the team, and I also felt like I made a difference.
 
 
How about some of the most challenging moments?
I would say school at first because where I was at before wasn't as high in academics. When I first got here, it was kind of difficult to go through it and get used to the workload. The first quarter was a little shaky but after that I think I figured it out and I'm doing pretty good. Also, UCI, especially in athletics, does a good job of providing help if you need it. Another challenging moment was last year going through all of those injuries. It was really taxing mentally to keep seeing people go down, so to keep picking ourselves up and keep showing up every day took a lot of strength. It showed how much courage this team has.
 
As a transfer, what drew you to UC Irvine?
I would say two parts. One, with it being in California, it's closer to family that had been wanting to come to my games. That was a big factor. I really wanted my family to see me play and I wanted that support because I was missing that. Second is Coach T. She really explained to me what the standards were when I got here. She didn't try to sell me this whole fantasy dream. She told me honestly what I needed to do and that if I listened and followed the plan they had for me then the sky's the limit. So those two components are really what drove me here.
 
You are a psychology major. What inspired you to enter that field of study?
I knew that whatever my degree would be in, I really wanted to be hands-on with people. I wanted to be able to make a difference, not from behind a desk or over the phone; I actually wanted to be in contact and hands-on with people. I started in exercise science but first of all, it's hard, and once I got to the classes that had to do with my major, it didn't really interest me so I decided to switch to psychology. Also, dealing with my own mental health issues, I think that I would really like to be an advocate for anyone who has dealt with something similar. In the sports community, I want to help players like me because it is hard to balance school, basketball and family. I want to be there for people and help them work through that stuff because it is a big part of college sports.
 
What are your post-collegiate goals?
I have my grad year at UCI so I would like to get my master's or a certificate. Then I definitely want to play overseas for however long I can do it. While I'm overseas, I would like to find somewhere I can do my school online and get a sport psychology degree so when my time is up in basketball I can get started on my next goal.