When I walked into the gym, my stomach was eating itself. Even though I had devoted countless hours to the sport, I knew I would have to put on a show this evening. After my embarrassing performance trying out for my old coach's new AAU basketball team, I had to regroup if I would play AAU this season. During this tryout, I was out of position multiple times on defensive drills, close to last on sprints, and lost the ball during ball-handling drills. The only memorable thing I did during the tryout was make a three-pointer from the left wing, which I had extensively worked on all summer. I knew basketball was something I wanted to do since the 7th grade when I broke my arm. The experience of healing and the work I had to do to recover and be 100% inspired me to want to support others in similar situations. I have had inspiring conversations with physical therapists in the area, which has helped me prepare for the future. During this tryout, it felt like all of that was in jeopardy. It felt like something I had worked so hard for would be taken away. At first, I started doing some defensive drills, and it took me some time to get comfortable in the defense they wanted to run, but being as focused as I was, I regrouped and understood what to do. Then I was thrust onto offense, where I was supposed to cut toward the rim, make crisp passes, and not turn the ball over. Normally, I would stand on the three-point line and cut whenever necessary, but I knew I needed to put on a show. I decided to seek the basketball and make quick decisions with it. Doing this worked in my favor because I had great success getting into the lane and making great shots and passes. Now, it was time for the ultimate test, the scrimmage. The last thing I remember before the game started was, "It's go time, Daniel, don't look back." I did precisely that, and I was everywhere on the basketball court. I was making three-pointers, getting both offensive and defensive rebounds, playing good defense, and, more importantly, feeling like I belonged on the court. When the tryout was over, I knew I gave it my all. A couple of weeks later, I received a call from one of the coaches, who said they wanted me on the team. Instantly, I knew I was supposed to play for this team. Even though we weren't the best team, we were a family, a brotherhood, which is all sports is about building bonds through teamwork and perseverance.

As a college student, my journey toward a career in public health and sports medicine is deeply rooted in my personal experiences and the influence of my family. This profound connection fuels my determination to merge my passion for sports and medicine, and to give back to the community that has shaped me. My father's recent revelation about his unexplored potential in other sports struck a chord with me. It sparked a vision of a future where we can provide the next generation with diverse experiences, nurturing their talents beyond the confines of a single sport. This vision has solidified my desire to create a transformative training center that not only develops athletes in their sports but also equips them with academics, financial literacy, and life skills. The guiding principles for this center are diversification, development, and dedication, all aimed at empowering the athletes of tomorrow. My vision for the training center is not just to provide high-quality training, but to redefine the traditional model. It will be a place where athletes not only hone their skills but also receive comprehensive education on training techniques, rest, and nutrition. This holistic approach aims to develop athletes not just in their sports, but also as individuals. My passion for public health has heightened my awareness of social issues, particularly health disparities among African Americans. This awareness has driven my ambition to work directly in the field, advocating for change, education, and support. I believe that by enhancing accessibility to quality healthcare for all individuals, I can contribute to addressing the inequities that affect my community and ensure that everyone can lead a healthy life. Through my training center, I hope to provide a space where young athletes can excel in their sports while also gaining the skills necessary for success off the field. By emphasizing diversification, development, and dedication, I aim to create well-rounded individuals who are prepared for the challenges of the outside world. My ultimate objective is to help the next generation achieve their full potential, both in sports and life, while also contributing to reducing health disparities in underserved communities. This vision is not just a career goal but a commitment to making a meaningful impact. I am dedicated to creating opportunities for young athletes to thrive and promoting health equity. Working with this community, I am committed to leaving the world in a better place and fixing the disparities as best I can.

As I near the end of my undergraduate journey, my future plans are constantly on my mind. After obtaining my bachelor’s degree, I am excited to start my career in the field of sports medicine. The diverse experiences I have gained working with various populations have solidified my desire to help individuals from all walks of life achieve their goals. However I want to make sure helping my community is at the forefront. My main objective is to find employment where I can combine my passion for medicine and sports. Additionally, I am committed to giving back to my community, which has shaped me into the person I am today. Recently, my father shared something that resonated deeply with me. He often spoke about his prowess on the basketball court, but he mentioned that if he had the opportunity to explore other sports, he would have taken it. This revelation inspired me to think about how to provide the next generation with diverse experiences. I now aspire to create a center where I can train athletes to excel not only in sports but also in academics, financial literacy, and life skills. My vision is to help them become well-rounded individuals prepared for the outside world. The foundation of this center will be built on three core principles: diversification, development, and dedication. Through these principles, I aim to foster an environment that promotes holistic growth and success for every athlete. I believe that I can take the model of training centers from famous athletes such as Brandon Marshall and the late Kobe Bryant and take it to the next level. I believe that I can combine high-quality training, with the knowledge of how to train, how to rest, and how to eat nutritiously. It is my goal to help the next generation have a space to grow as a person.

Over the past several years, people all around the world have experienced an event no one could have ever predicted. These unexpected circumstances have impacted everyone in different ways. Some people have lost their jobs, and family members and others have felt isolated. Even though I have experienced loss in my family due to COVID-19 I choose to focus on the positive. However, it has given me time to reflect on the change in my community and the world at large. Before the pandemic, I thought change was something that happened periodically, and promoted growth. Although I still believe that change does not have to be periodic today, it can be irregular. Before COVID-19 I set a lot of long-term goals. Ever since the pandemic, I made a switch to set short-term goals to be more productive. Before the pandemic, you would most likely hear me saying how much of an introvert I am, or how I don’t like being at school. Ever since the pandemic, I have learned how much I miss being inside the classroom or seeing my friends regularly. Over the past 6 months, I have seen only a couple of my closest friends 2 or 3 times. This is a drastic decrease since I did everything with them before the pandemic started. We used to play basketball, go to the mall, go get food, and play video games every weekend. Now I have been lucky to see them for 5 minutes every other month. Along with not being able to see my friends it has also been challenging not being in the classroom for my senior year. In 2020, there are certain instances where the idea of fairness has shifted. When Breonna Taylor was shot in her own home or Ahmaud Arbery was killed while jogging, I thought that they would receive justice. When I learned that society gave their killers limited punishments it got me thinking. What if this was an African American man killing a young Caucasian male or female? Should I be worried about my father, who often likes to jog in our neighborhood? That was the day I learned that minorities should think of fairness as an ideal and not a reality. But despite that, I still have hope. Due to the election's record-breaking numbers, I realized that the concept of fairness is still obtainable, but people have to work together for change to occur. I have been a member of the Durham Men’s Health Council for the past 5 years. The focus of this organization is to promote men’s health, prevent disease, and protect the environment. Being in the Durham Men's Health Council I have learned about health disparities for minorities, and over the past several months, I have heard about the lack of care for minority Coronavirus patients. The disparity between black and brown people's infection rates and outcomes is different and that is not fair since, in North Carolina, African Americans make up nearly a quarter of all those infected. In the future, I want to work directly in the field so I can promote change, education, and support and allow for more accessibility to quality care to all that need care.

Over the past several months, people all around the world have experienced an event no one could have ever predicted. These unexpected circumstances have impacted everyone in different ways. Some people have lost their jobs, some have lost family members, and others have felt isolated. Even though I have experienced loss in my own family due to COVD-19 I choose to focus on the positive. However, it has given me time to reflect on the world in a rapid state of change and the concept of fairness. Before the pandemic, I thought change was something that happened periodically, and it promoted growth. Although, I still believe that today, change does not have to be periodic, but it can be irregular and very calculated. Before COVID-19 I set a lot of long term goals. Ever since the pandemic, I made a switch to set short term goals to be more productive. Before the pandemic, you would most likely hear me saying how much of an introvert I am, or how I don’t like being at school. Ever since the pandemic, I have learned how much I miss being inside the classroom or seeing my friends regularly. Over the past 6 months, I have seen only a couple of my closest friends 2 or 3 times. This is a drastic decrease since I did everything with them before the pandemic started. We used to play basketball, go to the mall, go get food, and play video games every weekend. Now I have been lucky to see them for 5 minutes every other month. Along with not being able to see my friends it has also been challenging not being in the classroom for my senior year. At the beginning of the school year I had to adapt to not having a teacher in my face teaching a lesson, but taking notes on my own so I am prepared for class. I also had to dig deep to find motivation so I could focus while taking classes online at home. 2020 hasn’t been normal, but it has taught me about myself. The concept of fairness has changed drastically during this year. Before this year, fairness looked achievable to me. I thought that if something bad happened to me, then something good will soon follow. An example of this would be after my grandmother passed, I had a hard time adjusting to her absence. My grades started to slip, I wasn’t going places with friends, and overall I was not feeling like myself. My parents saw the difference in me and they took me out and gave me advice to help me feel better. It was with them that I started to turn around. Even though the loss of my grandmother was troubling at first, I was able to become closer with my parents after that challenging time. In 2020, there are certain instances where the idea of fairness has shifted. When Breonna Taylor was shot in her own home or Ahmaud Arbery was killed while jogging, I thought that they would receive justice. When I learned that society gave their killers limited punishments it got me thinking. What if this was an African American man killing a young Caucasian male or female? Should I be worried about my father, who often likes to jog in our own neighborhood? That was the day I learned that minorities should think of fairness as an ideal and not a reality. But despite that, I still have hope. Due to the election’s record-breaking numbers, I realized that the concept of fairness is still obtainable, but people have to work together for change to occur. I have been a member of the Durham Men’s Health Council for the past 3 years. The focus of this organization is to promote men’s health, prevent disease, and protect the environment. Being in the Durham Men’s Health Council I have learned about health disparities for minorities, and over the past several months, I have heard about the lack of care for minority Coronavirus patients. The disparity with black and brown people infection rates and outcomes are different and that is not fair since, in North Carolina, African Americans make up nearly a quarter of all those infected. In the future, I want to work directly in the field so I can promote change, education, support and allow for more accessibility to quality care to all that need care.