The event took place when I was refereeing co-ed youth basketball earlier this year, from January - February 2024. The two teams were competing hard, while also enjoying their youth, only being around the ages of 7-9, and having plenty of fun, since every person on the team gets to play. And there was this one kid who, although he was scoring the most points, playing with fearless tenacity and unmatched determination to score for his team, he overexerted himself often, causing many plays that led to kids falling down and getting emotional from the wreckage. The coach for the other team kept signaling to me that he was displeased that the other kid was playing so out of control, so I had blown my whistle to pause the game and speak to the kid's coach about the issue. After addressing the coach about the problem, the coach and I spoke with the kid, telling him that he was doing great, but he had to play more controlled, otherwise someone could get hurt. Unfortunately, the kid naturally began to cry, feeling like he was being called out in front of everyone. It took a lot of effort, but me and the coach eventually cheered him up, ensuring to him that no one was going to keep him from being able to play just because he is still learning, just like the rest of the kids. When the game was finished, both of the coaches thanked me for my service in the game, and better than that, a lot of the parents walked up to me and said that I was doing an amazing job. It is because of stories such as this one that have been a huge blessing and advantage in my life. They have been the backbone for me to stay level-headed and give my very best effort in my sports career. I have learned patience, leadership skills, discipline, and confidence time and time again through my experiences as a referee in both adult and youth sports. The beautiful part about me discovering that I could get paid to referee for the sports that I love was that it came from me recognizing my self-worth. I had worked in sports before, but the bad part is that most part-time sports jobs don't even pay $15 an hour, plus, they require employees to dedicate so many hours of the day away because of the amount of workload that comes with it. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that, however, as a full-time college student, I had to find something that wouldn't be so demanding on both my mental and physical health. I was blessed to be brought in as a student-referee. My career plans are to become a founder for a revolutionary youth basketball organization, blending both fun and fundamentals of life and basketball all in one organizational experience. As of right now, with a year and a half remaining in college until I get my bachelor's degree in Sports Management, I am determined to continue refereeing while gaining other experiences in sports, because I have realized that refereeing provides the most financial stability within the entry level of sports. However, I am still in need of financial assistance in any way I can get it, as I may be moving out of state before I finish college within the next year. I truly hope and pray that I win this scholarship, as it would be a great boost for my present and future endeavors in sports, along with receiving life changing financial assistance.

"The beauty of the human brain is that it can think of a million, a trillion different things all in one day, however it cannot think of more than one thought in the exact same moment of time" _. Dr. Eric D. Thomas. Isn't that incredible? I don't even need you to tell me that you agree because the reality is, we all go through overwhelmingly annoying and painful experiences in life which causes stress, depression, suicidal thoughts... oh my Lord the list goes on! Yet, there are countless methods available nowadays in 2024 that mental health has become a supreme focus across communities throughout the planet. Men no longer live life thinking that they have to be some robot when it comes to expressing real, raw human emotion such as the female counterpart. Therapists have been around for quite a while now, and now we have podcast platforms about mental health, online therapists, and even personal trainers go into great detail in their programs about bettering mental health which elevates maximizing physical performance of the human body. People have told me personally throughout my life how amazed they are that I carry myself with such a positive mindset, yet they don't know that as a 20-year-old man of Christian faith, I'm now in the best state of my mental health I've ever been, and it is only getting better! It was NOT always like this -- I was one of those people who constantly cursed out people I love in my head, wishing they would be hurt to reflect the hurt I was in. I had a "know-it-all" persona more times than I could count but stayed in denial. But now, I have reached a place in my life that I'm praying I can continue to grow in when it comes to being convicted and committed to spending time by myself and with God before taking on the outside world. On Friday July 5, 2024, I had suffered a horrible kidney pain that caused urination of blood and as it got progressively worse, I ended up being taken to the emergency hospital at Sentara with my mother and girlfriend. Suffering through that pain was so unbearable I cried more than my brain wanted to, and it was revealed to me through the doctors that I was putting too much stress on my mental and even more on my physical health along with God confirming it in my heart that I had to slow down before taking on so many daunting and heavy-loaded tasks in just one 24 hour day. Again, there is nothing wrong with pursuing a lot of goals and achievements in life, however, there has to be a balance and a time to rest and reflect, otherwise the body and the mind will deteriorate due to the lack of time it needs to replenish before the next day of 50 or 100 or 10000 challenges come forth. It is very clear to me now that waking up in the morning before my family and my girlfriend to start my day gives me freedom for my mental health in ways never imaginable. I have true time to myself and with God without interruption, I imagine dreams for the present and near future, and each day I'm closer to finishing up college with a degree in Sports Management to create a youth basketball organization with the most prestige balance of fun and fundamentals that will have operations all across America; and this scholarship will help me get further away of settling for anything less.

Throughout the entirety of my life, sports have always been there. They helped me channel a healthy balance of mental and emotional stress from day-to-day life and allowed me to connect with peers of all ages across a variety of backgrounds. But more than that, they have brought a plethora of memories to cherish on, such as witnessing the "Pick at the Stick" with my family in real life, which as of now was and is my favorite memory from sports and one I pray I never forget for the rest of my life. Moments such as that one have groomed me into pursuing specific academic aspirations, such as earning a bachelor's degree two years from now in 2026 with a major in Sports Management, and then go back to Old Dominion University to earn my master's degree in Sports Management in 2028. Along the journey to earning these degrees, I will work very hard to network with other people at my school and building trustworthy relationships with people who have big dreams and visions of truly making a new and remarkable impact in the world of sports for the youth. Moreover, I am incredibly interested in making a true difference in the sport of basketball for the youth and opening up doors for more kids to enjoy the game of basketball in every month of the year. With the education I'm striving to receive, I will gain better knowledge and wisdom on the necessary components of how to operate a youth basketball organization, what does the budgets look like, where to have it located, who to ask to help fund my dream project for the youth, and why should people care. This scholarship would help me better invest my time into my community and researching information that is applicable towards my dream of creating something different in the world of youth basketball. The scholarship will open up a world of opportunities for me to continue to acknowledge all of the positives and negatives that are still ongoing in youth basketball as of 2024, and combine that gathering of highly valuable information along with what I have already learned and experienced in my 20 years of life through my academic and professional experience in the world of sports and how all of this pertains to youth basketball. To add on further, although my parents are not what anyone would call or label "unsuccessful" or "less-than fortunate," every human being goes through an experience behind closed doors that they may not necessarily want to speak about to a bunch of other people, such as the battles that me and my family have gone through when it comes to the struggles of supporting a household of 4-6 people while also financially having to pay for two individuals and their college education (me and my older brother). Therefore, this scholarship will not only benefit me in my career goals as an upcoming junior year student, but it would also help propel me to branch out on my own and no longer stay stagnant under the blanket of my parents who have worked very hard for 20+ years for both me and my brother to help us venture out on our own so we could become the very men they prayed and dreamed we would blossom into.

A great inspiration for my life stemmed from the movie "Roots." The story of Roots was extremely graphic, captivating the imagery of every struggle, heartbreak, and distaste implemented by the spirit of hate. Hate is what drove the slave owners to chain and overcrowd the slaves at the bottom of the ships. Hate is what motivated the slave owners to completely withdraw any slave's will of escape. The ideology of one being superior to another for the purposes of just fulfilling greed and selfishness has impacted me to develop a lifestyle of providing joy, happiness, and knowledge. Throughout my lifetime, I have been blessed to be raised with love throughout many ups and downs. Now, I want to inspire others of my generation to carry a mindset of love forward. I want to work with different cultures, and strive everyday to implement the history of all cultures. Within my career as a sports marketer, I will treat each client with respect and courtesy, as if they were my own family. I feel when you treat others with respect, they learn to trust you and know you have their best interests at heart. Drunk driving has impacted me mentally, and emotionally. The concept of someone maneuvering in a space of pure irresponsibility arouses feelings of anger within me. One, it is illegal practically everywhere you go/travel. Two, it is undeniably reckless. When 'one is impaired, or in a state of drunkenness, the risk/reward of driving on the road leans way too far towards the side of potentially killing another human being. Just this past year, Henry Ruggs lll, a football player on the Las Vegas Raiders, who inspired kids like me to get into the sports world, was killed while committing a DUI. Through common sense, and knowledge, 'one needs to know that drunk driving is never worth the risk. It divides common households, because not all parties are on the same page, 9 times out of 10. Something my parents have taught me while raising me is that drunk driving represents poor judgment, and more importantly, is a reflection of a person's character. Through knowledge, I am able to unite with others, like how Kizzie and her family in Roots rallied to escape the slave owners to freedom. My parents have instilled in me knowledge is the key to self-propel me for the rest of my journey in life. I strive to obtain the best grades from knowledge. I also make it a point to learn about people I meet, to learn about themselves on a personal level. That way, my communication skills will get better from interacting with others.