FINDING YOUR PURPOSE

DEEP inhale, long exhale.

Life goes by so quickly. It’s been ten years since I graduated from college.

Ten years since I suited up for a collegiate basketball game. Ten years since I shared the lockerroom and unforgettable bond with my college teammates.

I had a pretty good plan after graduating from college. Go to graduate school. Become a journalist. O.K., but life is never that simple.

After graduating with an M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing, everyone began to ask me the million-dollar question: “What are you going to do with a degree in writing?” The journey to discover the answer to that question guided me to teaching the game — I was a girl’s middle school basketball coach in California.

My love for the game led me to interview some of the top players in the WNBA and NBA.

I love the game. I love absorbing the culture.

Basketball has taught me so much — BE CONFIDENT. BE RESILIENT. BE HUMBLE. 

After years of trying to discover my purpose, my mission suddenly became bigger than basketball.

DEEP inhale, long exhale.

I’ve always approached life the way that I used to hoop — smooth and simple. So, even when I didn’t know what I was going to do with a writing degree, I continued to follow my heart, passion, and purpose. I want to give girls a reason to dream.

“WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH A DEGREE IN WRITING?”

It feels good to finally have an answer. However, I want girls to know that it’s O.K. to not know. What matters is that you don’t give up and that you believe in yourself and trust that you will find your purpose.

My goal is to create exposure and access to the opportunities that basketball has to offer.

It’s important that hoopers find a way to apply the rules of the game on and off of the court. The game will not be the same for everyone. Life doesn’t come with a playbook.

I hope to inspire girls. The same is true for all the stories we will continue to tell at Girls Got Game.

DEEP inhale, long exhale.

We got this.