"Did you used to play basketball at Spring Woods High School?...I've seen you play before!" This was told to me by a younger boy whose game I had just been the referee of. I recognized him because earlier in the game I had called a foul on him and he'd given me push back on the call I made so when he came up to me after the game I thought it was to criticize me on my officiating. Instead he surprised me by asking a simple question on whether or not I had played basketball at my current high school. I told him yes and I was shocked to find out he had once come to watch one of my games when I played on the girls varsity basketball team. He probably found it cool that I played basketball at what seemed like such a high skill level to him but to me it meant more than that. I had started playing basketball competitively in middle school and made the girls varsity basketball team for my school my sophomore and junior year of high school. My senior year however, I made the difficult decision to not tryout for the team. I wanted to spend my senior year making an impact on my community by volunteering, starting an organization, and working to raise money for college. When I was introduced to the opportunity to become a referee I was a bit hesitant since I had once been a player who never really liked referees due to having the perspective that they were against me and I felt unqualified for the job at hand. However, I knew I needed the financial assistance with college just around the corner and as a former player I knew the rules like the back of my hand. As expected when I first started out I wasn't very good due to being afraid to make the wrong call or just being intimidated by what the parents, coaches, and even players might think about me. It wasn't any better that I happened to be the only female from my school to sign up to become a referee. So when I had this encounter with this young boy I was very self conscious in myself and even doubted wanting to continue pursuing refereeing. However, the words this little boy spoke to me changed my perspective on the impact I was making. When I recognized the admiration he felt towards me about being someone he once looked up to from watching me play made me realize that I was making a difference both in these young players minds but also within myself. His words made me feel accomplished and like I was a role model for these players to look up to and it was my responsibility to guide them along the correct path in life through basketball. This encounter with the little boy made me want to continue being a referee and as I move onto college I hope to be able to officiate more youth sports games and help other children recognize the value of being a role model and the full circle moments that come with it.