Historically excluded racial and ethnic groups have consistently been underrepresentedregarding cross-cultural exposure. When I read about PeacePlayers’ mission, I knew I wantedto be part of it. The opportunity to develop leaders is at the core of my life’s work. My love forthe game of basketball, youth, and development all pulled my heart to join the team.PeacePlayers’ Core Values were also a draw for me. I have always worked at my bestin collaboration. So I was excited to work in this environment when I read about thePeacePlayers’ culture of collaboration. As a leader, I love to encourage my team to participatein all aspects of decision-making and process. I want my team to share their opinions andwork together to complete goals and objectives. At an early age, I was given responsibilitiesthat led me to believe in my ability to lead and bring people together for a common goal. Ienjoy coaching my teammates with best practices and problem-solving.And we get to teach this value to our youth. I want our youth to understand the importanceof working together to solve problems, on the basketball court and off.The work for me is to help young people to see that they don’t have to do it alone whenfaced with a problem in life. Also, seeing people as people is a value that connects me toPeacePlayers. I was raised with this important value. Growing up, my mom exposed mysiblings and me to the beauty of others regardless of background, race, or social class. Growingup, we had a map in our room, and my mom would teach us what she knew about differentcultures. This started my path to travel at an early age. I went to Central America in my earlytwenties, which opened my eyes to how people lived in other spaces. Seeing people as people,not objects, is at the heart of everything I believe in.These values are also relevant when I think about PeacePlayers in Chicago and the deepdivides in our city. I am challenged to see youth from different neighborhoods come togetherto develop new and lasting friendships. Chicago is a divided city, and the work that theChicago team and I are developing is a city map of three peace zones – the south side, west1PEACEPLAYERS UNITED STATES STORYBOOK
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