Personal Statement

I was 9 years old when I moved to Canada from Kenya. I was very excited to be in a new country and one of the very first things that I fell in love with was basketball. I would always see my neighbor play outside on his basketball hoop and I decided to give it a try.  I played a lot against him and he would always beat me. I would always stay outside after he went home and practice. I remember I would always use a soccer ball for practicing because I didn't have a basketball.  My first basketball was given to me by another neighbor of mine because he always saw me playing with a soccer ball.  I would always practice because losing to my neighbor ignited a fire in me because of my competitiveness.  These days I wake up early, go to the gym and train for about an hour before school.

I've now been playing basketball for 7 years and I've learned a lot from it. I've learned to be a vocal person and to always do what it takes to win. Basketball has been an escape from the reality's of life for me.  Whenever I feel stressed, I simply grad my ball, go outside and just play basketball because I enjoy doing it and it frees my mind.  Basketball has also taught me to never let anyone's comments or opinion control me and this has made me a better athlete and student. My mom and dad always emphasize to me that school is number one, then basketball because one injury can sideline a basketball career but what you learn from school will always stick with you.  A skill that I have is taking criticism and using it as motivation to get better. An adversity that I had to over come was during my eighth grade year. I tried out for British Columbia's provincial basketball team and but I didn't make it. I was very sad because I felt I should have made it and after speaking to my mom I used the disappointment of being cut as a learning experience and it made me a better player and person. I'm a determined person and I believe that after all the work I've put in I should push forward and take basketball as far as I can.