“I knew that I always wanted to give back to my community,” he said. “We took a deep dive into what we actually needed to do to create societal change. Being around families, being around the kids, listening to our community, they let us know and gave us the spearhead on what’s needed. It was our job to listen, implement and apply things that was needed to create that societal change.”
Using his platform is key, James said.
“I have too much of a platform and too many resources to not give back in order to create a change that’s long-term.”
Students had the chance to ask the four-time NBA most valuable player questions. Kendall Ahern, an Akron-native and a graduate student, started hers on a personal note.
“I was lucky enough to benefit from your early foundation work in 2009 with the Bikeathons,” she said. “Today, as a graduate student, who has worked in the advocacy and nonprofit space, I still cite your leadership as a massive inspiration.”
Ahern asked James how he plans to pass the torch and inspire a new generation of leaders. He spoke about the significance of generational change and the ripple effects of his work.
“It started in 2009,” he said. “And now you’re at Ohio State and you still have this passion. You still have that leadership that you saw 15, 16 years ago. It’s living through you. That’s what we hope for.”
After James spoke to the class, students sat in small discussion groups. It was then that Pittman asked Ahern and undergraduates Kristin Close and Nailah Ddamba her question about college. All three assured her that college was a great experience.
“I think the ability to really focus on what you’re interested in is huge,” Close said. “In high school, you’re forced to do English, math, social studies. I love being able to take classes I really like. It makes doing the work a lot easier.”
Each student had a passion they shared with the group, including healthcare, fashion and business, and human rights. James spoke at length about passion in advocacy work.
