Growing up, I guess you can say I always wanted to "make it." I was constantly moving around my whole life, and then, as a senior in high school, I was homeless. I had a dunk that went viral my junior year at my public high school. Then I started to get some interest from prep schools for basketball. That following year, I transferred to Brimmer and May Prep school with hopes of getting a Division One scholarship and eventually going to the league. It was the start of a new journey (I did not make it to the league, lol). Going to prep school gave athletes the opportunity to receive more exposure from colleges and recruiters and play against other top-notch competition. My mind was solely on basketball, but I received other blessings far beyond my original intention for transferring.

​

Going to prep school changed my life. It changed my perspective. It was my first time being exposed to rich and wealthy individuals. I had friends and classmates that lived in mansions, had lake houses, it felt like I was in a whole new world. But what took my mind into another planet was getting the opportunity to travel to Europe as a Senior. Brimmer and May has an amazing program called 'Wrinthrim Trip,' where every two years there's a list of multiple countries from around the world that the students get to chose to travel in the spring. That year, the top choice was the Paris and Barcelona trip. I truthfully did not believe this was actually going to happen until about a month before the trip, and to give context, I was homeless just four months before. That trip changed my life and started my love for traveling. Getting exposure to a different society, different economic system, cultures, languages, healthcare systems, etc., before going to college and then being stuck in the 'rat race" was essential. Exposure causes expansion. After that trip, I knew life overseas was for me, and my goal was to go straight after university, and basketball was my ticket. My dreams were not only to play professional basketball overseas but to also live overseas. It was the start of a new journey.

​

After high school, I ended up going to a Division Three, Connecticut College for basketball, which was also a very great academic school and had an amazing dance program. Now you are probably wondering why did I just mention the dance program if I went there for basketball. It was the start of a new journey. Let me explain. It was my first college party; I was dancing, and a girl named Mawa approached me and said, "you can dance, you're dancer?" I thanked her and replied, "nah." She responded with, "you are a dancer, I am going to introduce you to my dance friend Taz." Now I was a "basketball player" who could dance, but Taz was a DANCER. From popping, locking, to all the latest hip hop moves, you name it.

​