When one manages to defy the odds and attain success when statistics say the opposite will happen, a true test of a person’s commitment to a community is how that someone can inspire others in their community to strive for the same goals.
That is the case with the New York Liberty’s Shoni Schimmel. She grew up on a reservation for Native Americans, and the transition away from what is referred to in Native American circles as “the rez” can be daunting. Her journey is chronicled in the 2011 documentary Off the Rez.
Eventually, she was able to make that transition and has now hit the big time with the WNBA’s Liberty. She also spent some time with the Dream prior to arriving in New York.
Schimmel, along with her sister are hoping to inspire future generations of Native Americans to also pursue a higher education. Only roughly nine percent of Native Americans graduate college—well below the national average of just above 20 percent.
She recently held a camp at Sierra High School in the Fresno area of California in which basketball was not only stressed, but the importance of a higher education.
(Video credit: KSEE-TV Fresno via Fresno CSS)
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
