St. John's University Athletics
Mimi Reid Breaking Barriers in the Classroom
12/14/2022 11:19:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Reid paving the way, as she becomes program’s first to pursue doctorate degree
QUEENS, N.Y. - There are few stronger embodiments of the student-athlete than St. John's women's basketball player Mimi Reid. The starting point guard for the Red Storm is breaking barriers off the floor, as one of just two current NCAA Division I women's basketball players to be pursuing a doctorate degree.
Reid arrived in Queens this summer, after five years at Ole Miss, where she earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a master's degree in homeland security and emergency management. An active member of her community, Reid was named the Ole Miss representative, as the Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award winner in 2021-22.
On the court for the Rebels, she started 100 career games as a floor general, she tallied over 100 assists all four seasons she played in. Last year, Reid ranked third in SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3) and top-10 in assists (3.6).
After finishing up in Oxford with two degrees under her belt and a year left of athletic eligibility, Reid decided to continue to further her education and began looking at her options.
"I was looking to further my education, whether it was a certificate or maybe another master's degree," Reid said. "My mom helped me research and we found that a doctorate program may be ideal certificate. St. John's had one, so we started to look into it."
The shoe fit perfectly, as St. John's had a doctorate program in homeland security, an opportunity to keep playing at a high-level and the chance to return home, to New York City, to finish out her career.
Now Reid is doing something unprecedented, as she is the first player in the history of the St. John's women's basketball program to be enrolled in a doctorate program. She is one of two known actively playing in NCAA Division I Women's Basketball, joined by Lauren Gross of Southern Miss.
"It says more about her as an individual than anything, the fact that she has put an incredible amount of work into not only her athletic career, but her academic career," Head Coach Joe Tartamella said. "You see that in how driven she is to be able to be successful at a high level both in basketball and in life."
On the court, Reid's wealth of experience has provided a large boost to the undefeated Red Storm squad. Starting all 10 games thus far, Reid has shown a great deal of poise and made her mark as a distributor on offense. The point guard leads the team and currently ranks fifth in the BIG EAST averaging 4.1 assists per game.
It hasn't been easy chartering new territory for the program, Reid has not only learned about how to manage her time on and off the court, but she has paved a pathway for future players to strive to reach new heights in the classroom.
"I feel as though I've taken like 20 steps ahead with the doctorate as opposed to the bachelor's and master's," Reid said. "So that has been definitely difficult, but it hasn't been something that I couldn't handle."
Reid grew up in public housing in the Bronx, which is where her passion for her future line of work came from. After graduating with her doctorate, she hopes to start a career working for a federal law enforcement agency and make a difference in her community.
"I've always been interested [in the crime in the area] because I am always seeing something and always hearing about something, so I just always wanted to be a difference maker," Reid said.
A true trailblazer, Reid has set a bar of excellence both on the court and in the classroom.
Reid arrived in Queens this summer, after five years at Ole Miss, where she earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a master's degree in homeland security and emergency management. An active member of her community, Reid was named the Ole Miss representative, as the Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award winner in 2021-22.
On the court for the Rebels, she started 100 career games as a floor general, she tallied over 100 assists all four seasons she played in. Last year, Reid ranked third in SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3) and top-10 in assists (3.6).
After finishing up in Oxford with two degrees under her belt and a year left of athletic eligibility, Reid decided to continue to further her education and began looking at her options.
"I was looking to further my education, whether it was a certificate or maybe another master's degree," Reid said. "My mom helped me research and we found that a doctorate program may be ideal certificate. St. John's had one, so we started to look into it."
The shoe fit perfectly, as St. John's had a doctorate program in homeland security, an opportunity to keep playing at a high-level and the chance to return home, to New York City, to finish out her career.
Now Reid is doing something unprecedented, as she is the first player in the history of the St. John's women's basketball program to be enrolled in a doctorate program. She is one of two known actively playing in NCAA Division I Women's Basketball, joined by Lauren Gross of Southern Miss.
"It says more about her as an individual than anything, the fact that she has put an incredible amount of work into not only her athletic career, but her academic career," Head Coach Joe Tartamella said. "You see that in how driven she is to be able to be successful at a high level both in basketball and in life."
On the court, Reid's wealth of experience has provided a large boost to the undefeated Red Storm squad. Starting all 10 games thus far, Reid has shown a great deal of poise and made her mark as a distributor on offense. The point guard leads the team and currently ranks fifth in the BIG EAST averaging 4.1 assists per game.
It hasn't been easy chartering new territory for the program, Reid has not only learned about how to manage her time on and off the court, but she has paved a pathway for future players to strive to reach new heights in the classroom.
"I feel as though I've taken like 20 steps ahead with the doctorate as opposed to the bachelor's and master's," Reid said. "So that has been definitely difficult, but it hasn't been something that I couldn't handle."
Reid grew up in public housing in the Bronx, which is where her passion for her future line of work came from. After graduating with her doctorate, she hopes to start a career working for a federal law enforcement agency and make a difference in her community.
"I've always been interested [in the crime in the area] because I am always seeing something and always hearing about something, so I just always wanted to be a difference maker," Reid said.
A true trailblazer, Reid has set a bar of excellence both on the court and in the classroom.
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