Dawson Edwards ’24, MBA ’26 epitomizes the Quakers’ basketball standards every time he steps onto Jack Jensen Court. Get to know him and you’ll realize he epitomizes Quakers standards off the court, too.

An academic graduate student in the Guilford Masters of Business Administration program, Dawson is a junior after attending an early college program in his hometown of Durham, N.C. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration last spring and is pursuing an MBA at Guilford.

When he was looking for a college, Dawson says Guilford seemed a natural fit. “The small class size was really big to me, but also I really liked how accepting the campus was,” he said. “People were welcoming… just being able to sit down and have a conversation.”

One of the most personable students on campus, Dawson is now the one offering the welcoming vibes to others, and growing in his faith as an athlete and student. He’s a two-time All-Academic Old Dominion Athletic Conference selection and has once been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court for his academic excellence. All while participating in on-campus organizations like the Guilford Christian Ministry,  Faith of Christian Athletes, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).

Dawson enjoys the community service aspect of Guilford, particularly the College’s annual Soup Bowl food drive and, most recently, the men’s basketball exhibition game against Hampden-Sydney to support Hurricane Helene relief back in November.

“Doing good is contagious,” he says. “(The exhibition) was amazing, not just to be a part of, but to also play in it. I think that it was huge… (Guilford Coach TomPalombo) wanted us to know up front, it was not the scoreboard that mattered, it was more so the impact left by what we were doing.”

A key reserve on the Quakers’ Division-III Final Four team last season, Dawson now starts for Guilford, which has surged since the winter break by winning seven of their last eight games. The quakers are  at time of writing, rising to 11-4 on the season and No. 24 in the national rankings. All the while, he has grown as an on-court leader on the men’s basketball team.

“When I saw how good the guys were around me (as a freshman), I knew what the standard was, and I knew that standard was the bottom line, but I also knew that I wanted to excel far beyond that,” Dawson said. “Those guys were my mentors, Julius Burch ’23, MBA ’24, Tyler Dearman ’23, MISM ’24, Rob Littlejohn MBA ’23, MISM ’24… Going into this year, I am just carrying the foundation that they built already.”

And as for what the Quakers basketball standard means to Dawson?

“Every single player is committed to the process of playing, winning, and learning,” he said. “In doing that, every player must hold themselves accountable and lift up teammates in times of adversity. This does not mean that everyone will be perfect, but it does mean that when our teammates fall, we pick them up with positivity.”