How An NBA Player Has Influenced My Life by Kyle

How An NBA Player Has Influenced My Life by Kyle - October 2021 Scholarship Essay

A person in history that has influenced me greatly is an NBA player named Tim Duncan. He has impacted the things I value and my behavior in particular situations during my life. The first lesson that I developed was learning how to be humble and kind in all facets of life. In moments of great success and failure, I maintained composure and poise. Not bragging, complaining, or worrying about things out of my control are just a few of the codes I picked up from watching Tim Duncan throughout his career. He would be in an interview where they would ask him a question about how he had just won a championship or most valuable player award and he remained humble and did not boast about himself at all. The fact that a person could be so high in life and still maintain his morals and values of being a respectful person was inspiring to me. As a leader of his team, he motivated me to become a basketball player and pass down what I learned to younger kids as an assistant coach leader. My personal life became connected to my admiration to be a leader in my community when I became a volunteer assistant basketball coach for my former elementary school. Basketball is another love of mine and to be able to pass on my knowledge and sportsmanship of the game to younger kids that are first starting warmed my heart. I truly believe that I impacted their lives as a team. We learned how to be compassionate, use teamwork, and be respectful to the coaches and team members. Tim Duncan also had massive cultural and social impacts on his community through volunteer work and community outreach. This drove me to influence on my community and school, so I decided from a young age to volunteer as a youth summer camp counselor for my city’s government. I was taught important values during this experience that I was able to pass down upon the campers. These values consisted of being understanding towards others’ beliefs and morals, as well as critical problem-solving. I grew into a dynamic leader that could give inspiration to others as well as myself. Another volunteer opportunity where I realized my leadership passion was at my school. During high school, I volunteered for a program called Puma Peers which is a group of academically excelling upperclassmen that are recommended by faculty members for being great leaders and mentors on campus. I was thrilled when accepted into this group as I had strived to provide a safe and supportive school environment. This was important to me because of my own experiences as a freshman. That year, some of my fellow football teammates bullied me into having a terrible year full of social, emotional, and physical trauma. A personal goal of mine as a member was to help anyone with similar issues in their lives which developed into the value of giving my best efforts every day. Another selective volunteer program I participated in was in the student body as a Senator. This once again gave me the chance to help assist social and emotional problems around the school like the ones that impacted me so greatly. These were just some of the volunteer situations that I decided to partake in because of the influence that Tim Duncan’s leadership had on me. The selflessness and love for others that he carried himself with was another aspect of his personality that encouraged me to be myself and not worry about how other people viewed my beliefs and values are. I have always been able to not be concerned by those that laugh at me for enjoying different things that could be considered embarrassing. Such as liking particular televisions programs or listing to country music and dressing in southern attire while living in Northern California. Overall, Tim Duncan has been a hero of mine throughout my life constantly making me reflect on the kind of person and role model I am for others, the impacts I have had on my community, and determine how I want to live my life unswayed by others opinions. Without watching and listening to this man I wouldn’t be the person that I am today.