No matter the season, Mouhammadou was involved in a sport. Whether it was spring, summer, fall or winter, you could almost always find him on the court, field, or track — giving his all and encouraging his teammates to do the same. And he excelled at every sport he tried. But he didn’t just play sports for the win. He played for the fun, and the friendship. And Mo has a lot of friends – friends he played sports with, friends he wrote raps with, friends he joked and giggled with, friends he had adventures with, friends he cared for and protected. Once he met you, he considered you his friend. So his world was filled with love for, and from, his enormous circle of friends and his incredible family. We were all lucky to be a part of his world. To see him smile and to witness his delight in every experience was a gift to those around him.
When he left us tragically in April 2018, we lost a shining light here on earth. But he is with us, always. And he continues to light our path as we remember his bright smile, his loyalty to friends, and his ability to find joy in everything he did. We hope this scholarship helps other children find joy in sports and in life, just as Mo did. And if they listen carefully while playing their sport, they might just hear him shout his favorite cheer for his teammates – “I believe in you!”