Kobe may be an influence on a lot of people my age or slightly younger because of the game of basketball. I see Kobe as my influence because of his work ethic and his loyalty to his family. As a male, we are expected to work and provide and we often have reminders of this in our lives, but Kobe never needed help becoming a man or getting to where he got. Kobe's mentality, the mamba mentality is something that I have encompassed and something that I will live by no matter what the situation is.

Growing up I had a babysitter for about six or seven years, mostly for my elementary years of school. Her name is Joanie and as a kid, I never understood why she was so strict with all of the kids. But, as I grew I realized that there are things that we should do and things that we shouldn't, Joanie played a big part in shaping me as a person and a man. She always taught me to be respectful, and treat others the way I want to be treated, and she taught me about God.