The Brief
- Community leaders honored A’Shari Hobbs at a special ceremony after St. Mary’s Academy barred her from participating in graduation, prom, grad night and postseason track competitions.
- Hobbs, a standout student-athlete and 2025 Division 4 800-meter champion, is set to attend Chicago State University on a track scholarship this fall.
- Supporters celebrated Hobbs’ achievements and future opportunities despite controversy surrounding an on-campus fight and its aftermath.
A’Shari Hobbs, 17, wore a cap and gown Wednesday evening and beamed with pride as community members honored her as a standout academic athlete from St. Mary’s Academy in Inglewood. It was not an official graduation ceremony. Rather, it was a ceremony organized by community leaders after her own school banned her from participating in the graduation ceremony, grad night, postseason track competitions and prom.
Speaker after speaker praised the young woman, who is on her way to Chicago State University on a track scholarship in the fall. There were flowers, standing ovations and tears for the teenager, who took the Leimert Park stage, looking like the superstar she is. A’Shari’s many accolades include being a National Honor Society member and the Division 4 800-meter champion (2025) while a student at St. Mary’s Academy in Inglewood. But after a fight broke out between A’Shari and a few of her teammates last month on campus, the Catholic prep high school came down hard on Hobbs.
At issue was not only the on-campus fight after a highly competitive track competition but also the conduct of A’Shari’s mom in the aftermath.…