My goal is to be a role model to my students, especially students of color and to help prepare the next generation for the future. When I was in high school I didn’t have any teachers that I could connect to partially because none of them looked like me. I grew up feeling detached from school with very little motivation to be an excellent scholar. I was an athlete so I had to get average grades in order to play basketball and that's what I did. Fortunately, I went to college to play basketball and I met my first Black, male instructor. That relationship was instrumental in giving me the confidence and motivation to be the best student that I possibly could be. I want to inspire students, especially students of color, to be the best students they can be, and serve as a real life example of what is possible for them to achieve with hard work and dedication.