+ Read Zane's Nomination Submission

Zane has overcome unbelievable challenges in his life. He has overcome homelessness, foster care, family incarceration, a documented learning disability, and the death of his father (in February) to become a star varsity basketball player, a student on track to graduate academically, and a purpose driven young man who has stolen the hearts of the teachers and staff of Spanish River.

From age 13-16, Zane was homeless, living in a van and in hotel rooms with his mom, dad, and 2 brothers. During this time, Zane struggled in school and was academically ineligible for sports. Zane's mother was incarcerated when he turned 16. He reached out to his aunt who took him into her home. Zane's aunt gave him stability in his life that he had never had before. Zane tells me that it was going to live with his aunt that made him take a look at himself and his life. Zane decided that he wanted to be a professional athlete, to learn real estate, and to learn about sports marketing. He decided that he had been given a chance to make something out of his life, and he would not miss it! At 16, Zane was still academically ineligible to play basketball. He spent his junior year at Spanish River studying hard, seeking tutoring from his teachers during lunch and afterschool. Zane took an active role in selecting his classes, advocating for himself, and separating from toxic friendships. By the start of his senior year, Zane had a GPA above 2.0, was a consistent A/B student, and was eligible to play basketball! Zane shined on the court, contributing to a winning season with tough defense, a team first attitude, and a humble/coachable demeanor. The real power of Zane's story is that he did this on his own. I tell him that I am proud of him, but really, I am amazed and inspired by him. He made the decision to turn his life around on his own, he put the work in, and basketball was his reward. On senior night, as in his fight for a new life, Zane was alone with no one to walk him down the court. He was unfazed, proud to be there, and I was personally honored to walk along side him to receive his recognition. When we heard about the Naismith Courage Award, we knew Zane was a perfect candidate. We had planned to talk to Zane about it, when we learned that Zane's father had unexpectedly passed away. Yet another hurdle for Zane. Zane missed one day of school. He came back to be with his team and was sure to see each of his teachers and collect his missed work. I spoke to Zane that day and he shared that he was present when his father collapsed, that he, because his mother wasn't strong enough, provided CPR to his father as he passed away. To say that Zane is courageous requires a redefining of the word, courage alone cannot encapsulate the grit, vision, commitment, discipline, and mental strength that Zane embodies. Zane is an inspiration to all of us in the Spanish River community. His strength and determination to overcome unbelievable obstacles make him the perfect recipient of this honor. Our community needs more young men like Zane. He is an inspiration to us all.

+ Read Robyn's Nomination Submission

Four years ago, Robyn had a difficult and life changing decision to make: to leave or to stay. To leave meant to travel to another state with her mom and her mom’s abusive boyfriend and to stay meant to remain at her school while becoming a product of the foster care system again. Neither scenario was ideal or without extreme lost. However, after much contemplation, Robyn chose the latter. At the crux of decision-making time, it was unclear what Robyn’s life would become. Despite her brilliance and promise at 14 years old, Robyn’s future was unknown. Unlike many of her peers, Robyn carried the uncertainty of her future and the pain of her past. Her life was met with challenge and heart ache. But also with support and love. Through it all - every bump, every bruise - she made it. Four years later, Robyn is a senior at Westinghouse High School, the valedictorian of her class, the first in her family to attend college, a change agent in her community, and the starting point guard on her basketball team. Robyn’s journey was not without turmoil and would not have been possible without her own tenacity, focus, resilience, and courage.

As a senior on the basketball team, Robyn demonstrates bravery in her pursuits of excellence, inspiration in her written words to her teammates and peers, resilience in her journey of overcoming personal adversity, upstandingness in her will to make unpopular decisions, and confidence in her ability to shift the energy of her entire team and the atmosphere in which they engage. Robyn’s light is a torch for her current journey and a guide for her next. She is a rarity, a one of a kind, a one in a million kind of player, sister, person, student, who will change her family’s story. A common motto used at our school is that: “it is not the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog”. This phraseology is not only relevant to our school’s mascot, the Bulldogs, but also to our nominee. If you know anything about bulldogs, they are gentle and dignified, but also small in stature. Their physical size, however, should not be mistaken for weakness – they have undeniable heart and an internal “fight” that outsizes any dog or adversity they encounter. They are tenacious and fearless, but above all else, courageous.

Robyn Arrington-Epperson is like the bulldog described earlier - short in stature, but strong in spirit, in heart, and in courage. “Her fight” is laudable and deserves recognition.

It is hard to believe that Robyn is graduating from high school this year. Her life has been nothing short of a miracle, a testament to her own strength and perseverance. From homeless shelters and foster care system run-ins to parental abandonment and physical and sexual abuse, Robyn has experienced it all but has triumphed over every situation hindering her success.

As someone who has experienced a plethora of personal challenges, Robyn has navigated hardship with resilience and courage. Her courageous spirit can be best exemplified in her 5am bus travels to school, her late nights working until all her homework is complete, the days she spent her last dollars caring for her niece and younger brothers, or her focused pursuit of her post-secondary goals. Robyn works extremely hard, personally, academically, and athletically, and is a role model for her younger siblings and peers to emulate. She is her family’s hope, our school’s valedictorian, our community’s hero, and our team’s motivator. She encourages her classmates with poems and her teammates through personally written inspirational speeches. Her latest message to her teammates was this, “We have to have the heart to go out there and play with confidence in our game. What will separate us from our team and others is having heart. A team may be great, but if we have the heart to overcome, we will win. We are only as strong as our weakest link and our collective heartbeat.” This is just one of the many examples where Robyn empowers her teammates to achieve greatness on the court.

Robyn is a walking example of someone who is comfortable in her own skin. In a world where you can be anyone, Robyn chooses to be herself and finds comfort and joy in all she is, in totality. Robyn is reflective and introspective, and although she embraces her every flaw and blemish, she desires to be better than the day before. She is not afraid of responsibility and holds herself accountable for her actions. Over the years, she has demonstrated growth in character and attitude which is admirable and productive for her future. Beyond this, Robyn has a strong moral and ethical compass - something extremely rare in her peers today – she always strives to do the right thing, even when her choices are not attractive or popular. She takes the road less traveled, focuses on her work even when others are underachieving, and refrains from engaging in poor behavior. She challenges her classmates and teammates to do the same. She also encourages people to examine themselves and to exceed her own academic and behavioral standard of excellence. Robyn has a servant’s heart and is an active volunteer in her community, leading service initiatives such as clean-up days and food bank giveaways, helping those in even less fortunate situations than her own. As she leads her peers in school, her elders in her community, and her teammates on the court, Robyn “walks the walk” and seeks to be “the change she wishes to see in the world.”

Robyn’s bravery and confidence are perhaps her most endearing qualities. She is fearless in all her pursuits and never backs down from a challenge - in the classroom, in the community, or on the court. As a freshmen, Robyn was up against 7 or 8 girls for a spot on the starting team. Robyn declared that she would start before the end of the season, and she was not wrong. She outworked every player – in and out of practice - and eventually earned a spot on the starting lineup. She is a big reason why our team returned to the championship and why we continue to be successful. Robyn is a skilled player, not just because of her talent, but because of her courage on and off the court. As Robyn journeyed through uncertainty and painful times athletically, academically, and personally, she exhibited bravery and the will to persist, with nothing less than a positive attitude and hope in her heart. Robyn’s confidence manifests in the way she carries herself and in how she approaches adverse situations.

When I think about Robyn, I reflect on all she has accomplished and overcome and the environment in which this has occurred. Tupac’s words capture the essence of all Robyn has endured and become: Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's laws wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny it seems but, by keeping its dreams; it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete…” Like the rose that grew from the concrete, so too, did Robyn.

+ Read Layray's Nomination Submission

Excerpt from LayRay's adopted parents:

LayRay Paw was born in a refugee camp in Thailand called Mae La Oon. This particular refugee camp was for the people who were forced to flee from their home country of Myanmar due to war. They had to leave everything behind. When LayRay Paw was only a year old, her father was beaten to death after he attempted to leave the refugee camp in search of food and supplies for his wife and six children. Unfortunately, when LayRay was three years old, her mother became very ill and passed away. There are very minimal medical services for people living in refugee camps. After LayRay's mother passed away, she and her four older siblings were raised by her oldest sister, who was fourteen at the time. They survived on rationed rice, provided by the Thai government as well as anything else they could gather to eat from the river and forests. Because food was scarce, medical care almost non-existent, and fearing for the safety of her family, LayRay's oldest sister decided to sign up with the United Nations program to seek asylum in a different country.

In 2010, when LayRay was six years old, she and her five siblings were resettled in the United States and were all adopted by us. It was a huge culture shock for LayRay and her siblings upon arriving in the US. They did not speak or understand any English, had never seen or used running water, electricity, or toilets. They also had to learn to eat all new food, although rice continues to be the staple for each meal. Since being in the USA for ten years, LayRay now eats most American food, with the exception of cheese. Not only has LayRay completely caught up to her peers in school, but she excels in the classroom and she participates in many different extracurricular activities. Despite all that she has been through in her short life, she has demonstrated such resilience and is now a teenager who loves life, gives 100% to whatever she is working on and is always encouraging and helpful to others.

On top of basketball LayRay also plays soccer. During basketball season she works with our community to help run our elementary school camps. Girls are drawn to her. She is an amazing positive influence.

+ Read Michael's Nomination Submission

Michael Beauchesne is a sophomore on our JV basketball team. Michael is part of our special education program here at Bay High School and suffers from Mowat Wilson Syndrome which prevents most people from being able to walk, run, stand, etc. Michael played in a game last Friday for the first time, and while he didn't score a basket, he showed more courage than anyone I've ever seen. He is an active member in our school and attends almost every practice for at least the first 30 minutes every day.

Here is an email from his dad sent to me about Michael following his JV appearance. I feel it gives enough examples of the courage Michael possesses:

Jared,

Jen and I (our whole family) cannot thank you enough for making last night happen (please forward to the JV coach and the coaches from EC). Like any proud family that sees their son or daughter start for the first time in HS, we were completely overwhelmed. Basketball is Michael’s game. He loves it. Hearing his name and seeing him walk out to be with the starting five was amazing.

When Michael was our first-born son, we had high hopes for him like any proud parents. We had our two amazing daughters and we’re grateful to have little boy. I felt he would follow in my footsteps and become a safety in football. He would of course be better than me, but then again that would not be a high bar to go over. It wasn’t long before we knew something was not right with Michael, and while it took us 10 years to finally have a genetic diagnosis, we understood that his road would be different.

We were told that Michael would not really be able to run without falling or play many sports. If you would see other young adults with Mowat Wilson Syndrome you would understand more. They really don’t get around so well. Several are in wheelchairs and several more need assistance to walk. Nothing really held Michael back. Probably his two big—athletic—sisters helped a ton. Jen is a pediatric PT and this helped too. But nothing would conquer Michael’s heart.

Yes there was a final score yesterday. And yes Bay lost. But the real story is the story of two young men that bring joy and love to those around them. Sports teach us many life lessons. But last night taught us all a lot more than the usual sports story. All those that were there witnessed an amazing evening. They witnessed thousands of hours of therapy and dedication of hundreds of people.

They witnessed that in the end score does not really matter. What matters is living a life of giving. And you helped give us a couple of minutes of pure joy and happiness. Last night taught us all that hard work will pay off. It taught us tolerance and love. It taught us to take a few seconds to reflect and be grateful for all the gifts that God has graced us with daily. A few minutes is all it was, but it will last a lifetime.

I told Jen today that while I do not know for certain, that when Michael would gaze into the crowd, I am convinced that he was hoping and praying that his family was there to see him play in his first HS Basketball Game. I am convinced. No one can tell me otherwise. He understands and was sooooo very proud. I could tell by the look in his eyes as he looked around. Probably saying to himself, “God I hope mama and papa are here. I really hope they made it to see me play.”

Michael loves being with the team, and it is more than obvious the team loves being with him. When we finally accepted that Michael’s role on his team would not be a record-breaking role of any kind, it hurt. But the joy of moments like last night's and thousands of others help us to be grateful for all the “wins” Michael has given us. He may never make the final shot in a state champion game for a buzzer beater, but every day he shows us how to be strong in the face of adversity. He teaches us that heart matters more than physical ability. Yes it would have been nice to see him make a shot—I told him he was wide open….but in the end he did make it. He has made it through things that most in that gym will never encounter. He is a fighter, and he teaches us to never give up and always be grateful

So consider this a note of gratitude. Thanks to you and your staff, and the EC staff.

No buzzer beaters last night…..but it was the greatest game of the season.