I became aware of my stutter (结巴) when I was around 9, in the fourth grade. I began to see how other people viewed me. When the teacher asked the whole class questions, I never raised my hand though I knew the answer, because I knew I would stutter. Some kids would tell me that I talked funny, ask why I didn't talk normally, or laugh at me. As soon as that started to happen, I became more introverted (内向的).
It wasn't until the summer of 2015, before freshman year at high school. All my friends and my parents encouraged me to join the high school football team. I owed much to them, especially Coach Lane who taught me how to play football. He took the time-and had the patience-to actually teach me what to do, how to do it and how to understand the concepts of play.
In junior year, I started my first game for the high school team. I had a very good season and in January 2018, I signed the University of North Carolina. The older we get, the more of an understanding we have about the world and other people. So the first time my teammates in college heard me talk and heard that I stuttered, they did not say a thing. That was a big deal to me because I was so used to people making comments. My teammates actually tell me to slow down because talking faster causes me to stutter more. It's really helped me develop confidence.
Whenever I go back home to Georgia, I volunteer with children at my church, including those who have learning disabilities. I like to do that to inspire them with confidence. I had confidence issues when I was a kid because of my stutter, so I just don't want them to have to go through what I did. In the future, I would like to start a foundation to give back to people who stutter and create a program where kids all across the world who have a stutter can have a safe space.
