Almost like it was yesterday, I can remember being on the phone with my dad on a cold january morning during my freshman year, telling him that I did not want to run track and field. He wanted to hear no parts of that and essentially forced me to participate that year. Looking back, that turned out to be one of the most important events of my young life. It wasn't like I'd never ran track before or was bad at it, I was simply lazy and didn't want to set aside a few months of my life for something that was hard work. But there I was, attending the first track practice of the year. Now that I had no choice but to run track, I decided that I'd give it my all. And giving it my all was exactly what I did as I would consistently push my older peers in practice, which resulted in me running in a few varsity meets as merely a scrawny 14-year old. As my hard work began to be rewarded, I started to see the value in the sport and exactly why people love it, despite not being one of instant gratification. Track and field is not a sport for the weak-minded. Every practice seems like a punishment, when it's all necessary in reality. Running repeat 400 meter sprints, working on high-repetition agility drills, and dieting are all things that I had to learn the discipline to do. I had to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Fast-forward to my senior year and I've been a multi-year contributor on my school's varsity track and field team. I know what it takes to be successful in the world of sport, whether that be individual success, or building with others as a team. Which is why I'm so thankful for track. As I look forward to the next chapter in my life, I can implement the lessons that track has taught me into my career in the sports business industry. My goal is to be a sports agent because I want to be available to help my clients grow as individuals and competitors, through pouring into them with everything I've learned as a student-athlete. I would be able to relate to them because I will have experienced similar situations, therefore giving me the ability to give them relevant advice. Overall, my experience as a student-athlete will allow me to make others around me better. Outside of sports, I love listening to music, hanging out with family, or even playing a simple game of catch with a football.

Music has played an immeasurable role in my life during my high school years, especially the last two. Growing up, I had always been familiar with music, as I can vividly remember my mother jamming out to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and Michael Jackson on her iPod. So naturally, I developed a fondness toward music and it remained a small, but constant part of my life up until recently. In June 2023, shortly after my sophomore year of high school ended, my family and I packed up our belongings and began the long move to Houston, Texas, from Central Illinois. At this point in my life, I only listened to music to pass the time and distract myself from the outside world. I rarely connected with the music on a deeper level, nor did I feel the urge to do further research into the artistry of my favorite musicians. Passing the time with my AirPods in was exactly what I did for chunks of the nearly 18-hour trip. It was like the sound waves would literally go through one ear and out the other. That is how out of tune with music I was. Once we settled down in Texas, it became apparent to me that I had no friends or hobbies outside of just going to school and football practice. One day when I was unpacking boxes in my room, I came across my mother's old iPod. A wave of nostalgia struck me, and I felt obligated to reconnect with the songs that once were constants in my childhood. I charged it up, plugged in my headphones, and my love story with music began to blossom. I began listening to music every day from that point on. Racking up streams on Spotify, internalizing and analyzing the sounds of my favorite artists, such as Michael Jackson, The Weeknd, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Daft Punk, among others. And to a new school and community, I became that one guy who loved music in everyone's eyes, which led me to make friends that I would have never had otherwise. One of these aforementioned friends was vital in my growth as a music lover because he gifted me an original 1979 LP of Michael Jackson's Off The Wall just because I was a big fan. I didn't even own a turntable to play the record, so I went out that day and purchased one. Remember when I said I had no hobbies? This was no longer the truth because I began obsessing over physical music media. I started collecting vinyl and CDs of my favorite music. In just under a year of collecting, I have amassed over 30 different records and 10 CDs. I remember lying back in my bed, eyes closed, listening to " I Can't Help It" by Michael Jackson and being amazed at the level of production. Everything sounded so crisp, snappy, and melodical. So I got up and went to my computer to look up who produced it. Of course, it was the legendary Quincy Jones. I credit him with inspiring me to want to produce music. Although I haven't had much time to learn how to use a Digital Audio Workstation due to my workload at school, it is one of my dreams to learn how to produce music. Over the past two years, music has absolutely changed my life and has been there for me no matter what emotion I was feeling. Whether it be sad, excited, or hyped up. There truly is a song for everything and that's why I love music so much.

As someone in this world filled with so many ambitions and goals, it is hard to accept when things do not go the way I intended. I often find myself getting caught up in trying to accomplish the things that "I" want to do now and lose track of what the long-term goal is. When these situations occur, God is always there to remind me that I am on his timing, not mine. God has always been a tremendous source of guidance for me whenever I become lost in thought or whenever I long for what could have been. Recently, I've been blessed enough to receive multiple acceptances into schools that I applied for, just not the ones that I wanted. At first, I was hard on myself and began to overthink. I questioned my ability and asked myself why I wasn't good enough to get into the universities I'd been set on going to for almost four years. Although I didn't yet understand, God had only begun with what he had planned for me. It took me a simple visit to one of the aforementioned universities that accepted me for me to realize what God had in store for me. That day, I only went to school for a half-day and then headed toward the university, which left my mom and me plenty of time to explore the campus. Once I stepped foot on campus, I knew that it would be the place for me. The people were unbelievably kind and helpful, it had a diverse population of students, and most importantly, it presented newfound opportunities for me to succeed in my prospective career. I'd learned that the university had a department specifically for helping student-athletes find business ventures or sponsorships. This is monumental in my case because I want to be a sports agent one day, and it just so happens that agents are responsible for doing just that. At that point, I realized that God had already decided what was ahead of me long before I recognized it. Even though I had wanted to attend other schools so badly beforehand, God rejected those opportunities on my behalf because he had something greater to introduce to me. This is something that I will continue to carry with me as I mature into a young adult and beyond. In a world where it is so easy to become envious of what others have, God reminds me that he has an individual and unique plan just for me. He reminds me to focus on improving myself and those around me instead of yearning for what isn't to be had. In my career as an agent, I hope to use this experience that God has provided me to uplift my clients whenever they may need it. I'll be a consistent reminder to them that just one negative event doesn't have to define what the end goal is, and that is to be the best version of yourself possible.

Devin Booker has always been my favorite Team USA player. Despite his lack of playing time in the Olympics, his importance to the team is undeniable. Understandably, people tend to overlook him when they're watching all the superstars around him, but I feel like he served a larger purpose than just his role on the bench. From the moment Booker hit the court, his dedication and ability were clear. The thing that stood out to me most, though, wasn’t his scoring or his flashiness, it was his quiet determination, and his work ethic. It's refreshing to see players who embrace the team concept. He could have checked out, knowing he wasn't starting or getting the same minutes as some of the players, instead, he brought much-needed energy to the team. Every time he came off the bench, he was more than just a player coming in to fill a spot. He was someone who would do whatever it took to contribute. Whether he was hitting a clutch three, playing tough defense, or even just giving advice to another player, D-Book was always ready. He didn’t need to be the star and he understood that his role was just as important as anyone else’s on the team. I think that’s why he’s my favorite. He doesn’t need to be the one with the most minutes or the craziest highlight reel. He’s a bonafide professional. His willingness to embrace his role, support his teammates, and show up when it counts is remarkable.

"Ego" is one of the most important words in what has only been the beginning of my journey and has come back to haunt me at times--most notably in the summer of 2022. Like all football players do, I made the weight room my second home. The thought of building muscle and comparing myself to my teammates and peers corrupted my mind and made me lose sight of what was best for me. Because of my ego, I loaded a then-unrealistic amount of weight onto the bar for my deadlift max. Even though I knew deep inside that I was probably not going to be able to pull it off, I was determined to be able to tell everyone that I lifted "x" amount of weight and attempted it anyway. As expected, I failed to lift the bar and was diagnosed with an "L4 vertebrae stress fracture" weeks later. My worst fear had come true. One day I was fighting for a varsity spot on defense, then the next I found out that I was sidelined for the next 10-12 weeks. I was distraught. In those next 3 months, I discovered exactly what I wanted to do in life and who I wanted to help. It had always been my dream to be a professional football player since I was a little boy. At the age of 6, my mother signed me up for my local flag football team and I've been married to the game ever since. When my dreams of playing football at a high level began to fade after suffering my injury, I searched for anything that could keep me involved with the game. The very next day after my diagnosis, I called my coach and told him the unfortunate news. Although I had my struggles to overcome, I asked him if there was anything I could do to help out the team. Fortunately, he offered to have me be a coach's assistant. I was his right-hand man and assisted in whatever the team needed. I set up drills, snapped footballs to the quarterback, called plays for the scout team, fixed equipment, recorded film, and an assortment of other things. It was a long season with plenty of hiccups, but it resulted in a playoff appearance for our school. It was then that I found that the true beauty of the sport, lay in the journey it requires to lead people to a common goal. From that point on, I knew I wanted to be a sports agent. Those few months where I had to put my ego aside, inspired me to want to make a change in the world of sport. So many young players, especially black athletes, fall victim to the financial irresponsibility and reckless behavior that results from having massive amounts of newfound money. This is more important than ever today as college athletes as young as 18 years old are now able to be paid millions of dollars by institutions and people who, quite frankly, do not care about their well-being as much as they should. My goal is to assist as many of these athletes as possible to make sure they are putting themselves in the best situation to uplift their families and communities. To make that happen, I'll need at least a master's and law degree to ensure that I can assist my clients in any way necessary. The end goal is to establish my own agency alongside individuals who share the same vision. I've learned that the best way to uplift yourself is to bring others up with you.

The Nintendo Wii has been a staple in my household for years. I can remember growing up playing Mario Kart, Super Mario World, and Mario Super Sluggers with my family on game nights and having tons of fun. However, my most memorable session was when my mom and I competed in the Michael Jackson Experience game. In my family, anything can turn into a competition, especially when it comes to earning high scores on our favorite video games. I was very close to owning the high score on all the songs, but for some reason, I could not beat my mom's high score for "Thriller'", which was well over 10,500 points. As a result, I wanted to change things up and I challenged her to play the song with me. That gave me the push I needed to turn on my competitive engine. I began to string together a series of perfect moves and took the scoring lead by the song's halfway point, despite my mom lagging closely behind. Other than the sound of Michael Jackson's voice over the beat, the room was silent as neither of us echoed a word as we were locked into our competition. After a while, the song was reaching its end and our scores were neck and neck. I thought to myself that if I wasn't even able to beat my mom in a head-to-head matchup, I would never beat the high score. Things were looking grim until one fateful opportunity appeared for me to take advantage of. Like all songs in the game, "Thriller" featured its own set of "gold moves" that gave players extra points for successfully performing the move. It was my one chance to put my score over the top, and of course, I took advantage of it much to my mom's dismay. Once the song was over, the scores began to appear on the screen and I waited patiently to see my final score. Suddenly, five stars jumped onto the screen next to a number well over 10,800. Once I saw my score, I began to jump up and down with excitement as I was the owner of all the high scores on my favorite game.Today, I can proudly walk around my house knowing I hold all of the high scores on the Michael Jackson Experience!

A few years ago, my family and I, along with a group of people, volunteered at the local food bank to pack and send food and other essential items to families in Africa who were in need. I had previously volunteered in other places before and had great experiences providing a bit of my time to do good for others. This would be my first time volunteering at a food bank though and I had no idea what to expect. On the surface, I thought it would just be another fun volunteering opportunity to give back to people in need, but it was so much more than that in the end. There were two different kinds of packages that volunteers were able to choose from to put together. The food packages included easily accessible and non-perishable food items that were able to be shipped away in large quantities without losing quality. There were also hygiene packages that included biodegradable toothbrushes, toothpaste, and kits to properly wash up. Packing rice, bottled water, dried fruits, and more helped me realize that this was a real-life opportunity to give back to a real issue that has been hurting the population in poverty in many of Africa's nations. During the time at the food bank, we were shown video testimonials from some of the people who were eventually going to receive the packages that we worked so hard to prepare. Working together with my family also put it into perspective for me. It made me realize how blessed I am to have access to food and shelter and to give back to others. I know this volunteer experience may not be as groundbreaking as others, but I learned a great deal from it. It taught me to be more mindful and considerate of what other people may be going through and to acknowledge that not everyone is as fortunate as I am. A few weeks after the experience at the food bank, they sent us an email with statistics showing how many packages were put together while we were there. Over 1,500 hundred packages were able to be shipped to various places in Africa and I am proud to know that I was able to contribute to such a great cause!

When I was just 3 years old, my mom and dad divorced each other. I don’t even remember having my mom and dad under one roof because my dad moved hours, leaving me and my mom alone by ourselves. To provide for me on her own, my mom picked up multiple jobs and side hustles just to make ends meet for us. We had to get rid of our house and we moved into multiple apartments before we finally settled down. Because there was no one else to watch me when my mom was out working, my grandma often took care of me. Even having my grandma watch me was difficult for my mom because her house was 30 minutes away from my mom’s job and it was out of the way, but there was no other choice. My grandma didn’t have it great financially so it was hard for the both of them. It was this way for many years until my mom finally got a new job where she could support me without the stress of additional jobs and depending on others to watch her child. This is why my mom is the most influential person in my life. Over the years, I’ve watched her work tirelessly to make the best life possible for me. She’s taught me what hard work and resilience mean. Even through her trials and tribulations, she has always set time aside to be my emotional support though it wasn’t easy. She has been someone that I feel comfortable going to whenever I have problems and is an excellent listener. She also gives great advice and has raised me into the young man that I am today. I want to repay her for her sacrifices by doing my absolute best in the classroom and making her proud. She has always pushed me to be my very best in school and developed me to be a successful student and person from a young age. Due to this, I want to continue my education by going to a college or university, but I do not think it would be fair to my mom to have to take on the expensive burden of paying for it. If I am blessed enough to receive scholarship money for college, I will continue to embrace my mom’s teachings because I believe they can set me up for a bright future and one that my mom would be proud of.