From Development of a Skillset to Development of a Mindset
Transcriber: Sara María Toledo Sillero
Reviewer: Emma Gon
Poetry is more than just words,
dancing is more than just mere movement.
Paintings extend far beyond their canvases
and basketball is more than just a game.
Often our perception of sports, arts
or any other hobby is usually
limited to them being areas
where we express our feelings.
We never think of them,
however, as life changing teachers.
Yes, teachers. But wait.
Have I lost you there?
OK, then let me take you
back with me through a journey in time
where a 10 year old girl was dazzled with
the round shaped and
rough texture of an orange ball.
As she approached it,
she immediately felt a chemistry
far beyond time and space,
a connection deeper than a surface,
a passion that fueled
her life with purpose.
Now leaving this third person talk aside,
I believe you can all guess
who this little girl actually is.
Back to our journey in time to that day
where I picked up this basketball
and I immediately knew
that my dream was
to become a professional
basketball player.
So I cherish this ball.
And soon, throughout the years,
this ball became my lifelong companion.
From there on, I spent hours and
hours in the court practicing
and trying to master the game.
At school, basketball was
right there with me as well,
and it allowed me to create a team
to compete and to win tournaments.
What I did not realize, however,
is that this dear friend of mine has also
taught me to work hard on my studies,
the way I worked hard on my game
to give 100% in everything
and anything I was doing,
because that’s what
the game is all about.
I hadn’t realized that it taught me
self-discipline, time management,
teamwork, and above all, it taught
me to never, ever give up.
School years are coming to an end.
Now I have to make a decision.
What should I measure in
and haven’t we all been there?
Luckily, though, I had my teacher,
my mentor to guide me again.
I had basketball.
It was through basketball that I found
my new passion towards nutrition,
because simply the healthier I ate,
the better I performed.
And so my pursuit of
a bachelor’s degree in nutrition began.
Nonetheless, I was still determined
to play basketball
professionally after graduation.
At university, I struggled to find
encouragement and support
as a female basketball player
trying to pursue her dreams.
I was challenged as well
to keep up with all my studies
while traveling with the national
Palestinian basketball team,
as well as being committed
to several local teams
and the university team as well.
Once again, though,
I was not ready to give up easily
because the discipline
I learned from basketball
extended far beyond the court itself
and into all aspects of my life.
And then the day came where I graduated
with honors from my university,
and I had the time to focus
on making my dream come true.
One day I got a call for an opportunity
to travel and play for a team in Spain.
I was excited beyond happy and thrilled.
How can this be true?
I can finally give back to
my country, to Palestine,
by becoming my country’s first female
professional basketball player.
Without hesitation,
I traveled to Spain, to Madrid.
Despite all the obstacles that I faced
in all the discouraging comments about
how I could never make it out there,
I never gave up and I did it.
I managed to prove myself
as a starting point guard
for three different teams in
the Spanish EuroLeague,
as well as many other leagues in
different countries up until today.
(Applause)
It never crossed my mind to give up
on basketball to the country,
I feel the need to give back to
the game the way he gave me so much.
And that’s why every day
I wake up with enough motivation
and I do my best to give back to
my community through basketball,
through nutrition and through education.
William John, former US Secretary
of Education, once said and I quote,
The arts are an essential element
of education, just like reading,
writing and arithmetic, music, dance,
painting and theater are all keys
that unlock profound human
understanding and accomplishment.
From this quote, we come to realize
the importance of a ball,
a song, a dance, a painting or
any other hobby out there.
Such endeavors will drive
us to constantly learn,
to explore and to accomplish great things,
even if far away from home.
My passion is basketball,
but your passion can be anything else.
How many of you here have dreams?
How many?
Dreams that make you stay up all night
and give you a reason
to wake up in the morning.
How many of you have worked hard
and still are working hard to achieve
your dreams and reach your goals?
I’m sure that many of you have,
and I’m sure that all of you have realized
what valuable life lessons have
your pursuit of passion taught you.
That’s why let’s encourage
our next generation to work hard,
stay disciplined and never give up.
Let’s encourage our youth to follow
their dreams and pursue their passions,
because in return,
they will empower a whole community.
After all, if our youth do not,
then who will?
(Applause)
Thank you.