Love and Basketball: Freshmen Year

Freshmen 9

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𝐌𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐉 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐞
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Hampton University
Thurs. Sept. 15th, 10:45am
"My Boring Life"

(below is Shai's "Who Am I" essay for Professor Herbert's English class)

Who am I? A question that can be answered in many different ways. When asked I could reply with my race, my age, my status, and even just my name. However, all of those possible answers never really answered the main question, "Who am I?" I'm more than what people see when I walk past them. So, this is who I am. My name is Shai Aiden Remy Carter. I'm eighteen and I was born in a kiddie pool located in the middle of an enormous living room. I was raised by folks who didn't create me in a house on the hills. I saw different genders and races every hour of the day who still wasn't the ones who created me.

An older black woman taught me how to speak and walk. By the time I was a year old, I knew how to walk, run, crawl, sing, dance, and point. I learned simple words like hi, bye, good, and bad. I learned mom and dad as well, but rarely used them. It was gardener, chef, maid, and nanny for me. I was young, so I didn't understand why my baby pictures were on social media and the tv. I didn't understand why I was living in a house with six other people who cooked for me, cleaned after me, read me to sleep, and drove me everywhere.

I also didn't understand why cameras were in my face all the time. It was a lot. It wasn't until I was five that I realized that I was the product of two well-known individuals. I thought my life was going to be that of other celebrity children. It was the opposite. I grew up not knowing who I was and it was confusing. My early years didn't set me up for what was to come. My reality was different from others. I didn't know what to think of myself.

Until I discovered basketball was when I had a sense of who I was. I was another statistic—a black boy playing ball and trying to get into the NBA, or an ignorant celebrity child who gets whatever he pleases and doesn't have to work for anything. That's what people see, but I saw something else in me. I was a young man who dreamed of being something stereotypical. Was I proud? Yes.

Being something in life was a dream of mine. Basketball was my passion and interest. My goal was to get into the NBA and if that didn't work out then I'll coach the sport. Regardless, basketball was it. I was set on that. I had my mind set on that one thing and I was working towards that goal. Sadly, it seemed like I was still trying to find myself.

So, who am I? That's a complicated question for me. I'm a 6"4 brown skin kid who enjoys basketball and everything about it. I'm also the child of two famous people—a supermodel and a NBA player, so I was set already, but I still wanted my own chapter in this book called "Life."  I planed to steer away from my folks and walk my own path.

I know what I say won't matter to others. They'll view me a certain way and that's not changing no matter how I answer this difficult question. I'm still trying to figure out who I really am, but until then...

"...this is who I am," Shai concluded reading his essay. He slowly looked up from his paper at the class. It was clear as day that he had bored everyone.

Herbert sigh, rising from his seat and hurting his shit jacket. "Alright, does anyone have any questions for Mr. Carter?" he questioned, stepping from behind his desk.