Meet Kesean Leonard:

Imperfect. That’s how I grew up. Nothing was perfect. There was always a problem. I grew up on the Southwest side of Rochester, NY around a lot of violence, losing neighborhood friends and family to this brutality. It took a toll on me and the neighborhood. And at the same time, it was only me and my mom. My dad was around, but he was caught up in the system sometimes. I almost even lost my dad to violence at an early stage in my life. All my life, I wanted to be different. I didn’t want to be like everyone else.

For as long as I can remember, I was known around the city for playing basketball. Basketball was my getaway. Basketball is what always kept me busy and away from all of the violence that happens around my neighborhood. Basketball has been a positive force in my life. I could’ve been somewhere selling drugs and being a part of the killings, fights, arguements, etc., if it wasn’t for basketball. Basketball became my escape, a place where I could be myself, a place where hard work equals success; basketball helped shape me as a young man. It helped me learn to be a leader, how to win with grace, and how to learn from my failures. I also do Track & Field and play Volleyball for my high school. I want to be the one to actually make it out of the city. Nobody from my family graduated college. I want to be that one to do that.

One place that helped me generate myself into a young man is the Boys and Girls Club. That place always kept me busy and helped me a lot. School, sports, leadership, mentorship, reading, writing, etc. The Boys and Girls Club doesn’t just focus on doing activities after school. They actually care about how you’re doing in school and in your personal life. The Boys and Girls Club impacted my life so much, I got it tattooed on my arm.

I do want to thank my coaches and high school teammates for always pushing me to be the best version of myself. One time I struggled is when my coaches and teammates pushed me during one of my basketball games last year when I had a hard time making free throws during a game. I was playing well, but I just couldn’t make any of my free throws. I was getting frustrated with myself. I would put my face into my jersey after I missed a free throw. And my coach told me to never do that again, it would just make the situation much worse. So you know what I did? The next day I went to the gym with my coach and shot a bunch of free throws all day. He noticed how I could improve my free throws. It was my hand placement. After I improved my hand placement, I shot my free throws much better. This was one time where I overcame a problem that took a toll on me.

In college, I’m not 100% sure on what I want to study. But, I know I want to study something that involves sports. I just don’t think that I am me without sports in my life. I want kids to know that you don’t have to follow everyone’s path. Be different and be yourself. Even if you grow up with the same difficulties that I experienced, you don’t have to become a part of those experiences. Write your own story. Be your own person