It is not every day when a pro sports icon arrives at your school. But that is what happened when Sheryl Swoopes showed up to speak to the Young Ladies of Distinction at Tekoa Academy in Orange, Texas near Houston and Beaumont.
She shared her story of perseverance and triumph which, Swoopes said, really hit home in high school because graduating from high school appeared to be the ceiling of success for a black girl where she was from.
Her story, according to the Port Arthur News, included how she noticed her friends get pregnant and give up their academic scholarships. Swoopes was determined to not let the same thing happen to her.
The rest, of course, is history from the six All-Star appearances she made, the three MVP trophies, the four championships she won with the Houston Comets to the three Olympic gold medals she won. Not to mention becoming the first WNBA player with a signature sneaker – the Air Swoopes.
Now, she is an assistant coach at her alma mater, Texas Tech.
I’m a firm believer that it doesn’t matter where you come from, where you grow up or what your current situation is. What matter is what you believe, what you buy into and what you want to do with your life.
–Sheryl Swoopes at Tekoa Academy in Texas (per the Port Arthur News)
We all try so hard to be like someone else, but each and every one of us is the way God made us. It’s about being our best original selves. It’s not easy, but it’s up to your to decide what you are going to allow those struggles to do to you and for you, that’s really my story.
–Sheryl Swoopes at Tekoa Academy in Texas (per the Port Arthur News)
