I want to play for the New York Yankees.” That’s what I would tell every single one of my teachers growing up.
It wasn’t just a passing thought or a fleeting wish—it was my north star, the reason I got up every morning, the reason I pushed myself harder than anyone else I knew. While other kids played video games or hung out after school, I was on the field, in the batting cage, or running drills in my backyard. Every swing, every throw, every sprint was a step toward a dream that felt as big as the sky above me.
My room was a shrine to that dream. Yankees posters lined the walls, baseballs signed by my heroes sat on shelves, and my desk was covered in notebooks where I scribbled stats, strategies, and goals. But the centerpiece of it all—the thing that I saw first every morning and last every night—was a picture of Derek Jeter, framed and taped right next to my bed. Written in bold letters across the bottom were the words, “He earned his stripes.” Those words were more than a motto; they were a blueprint. I wanted to earn my stripes, too, whether they were pinstripes or not.
Life has a funny way of steering dreams. I never got to wear the Yankees pinstripes, but I found myself standing in a place just as surreal: on a stage of yellow ones, lights shining down, with the roar of an audience filling the air. Hearing my name called in the famous roll call was nothing short of electric. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could see my parents smiling up at me from the stands, their eyes shining with pride. For a moment, it felt like I was six years old again, staring at that Derek Jeter poster and imagining a life that seemed almost impossible.
The week only got more surreal from there. Walking up to the plate with my parents by my side, performing on Jimmy Fallon, and seeing my own billboard in Times Square—it all felt like a montage of every dream I’d ever held. Each experience was a reminder that while life doesn’t always hand us exactly what we imagined, it often delivers something just as incredible, just as meaningful. It’s easy to get caught up in what “should have been” or what we thought our path would look like, but sometimes the journey is even more rewarding than the destination we imagined.
The most important part of all of this wasn’t the lights, the applause, or the billboards. It was sharing the moment with my family and friends—the people who knew me when my only audience was my bedroom wall. They had watched me work tirelessly, stumble, get back up, and continue chasing a dream they believed in just as fiercely as I did. Seeing their joy, their pride, and their unwavering support made every early morning, every sore muscle, and every setback worth it. They had known since I was six years old that I was meant to chase something bigger, and finally, they got to see me live it.
Standing in that stadium, looking out at a sea of fans and lights, I realized something essential: dreams can take many forms. You may not get the exact outcome you envisioned as a child, but if you fight relentlessly, if you push yourself past the limits of doubt, if you commit to working harder than anyone else, something extraordinary will happen. It might not look like you thought it would, but it will still be magical.
So, to anyone reading this: never stop chasing your dreams. Keep believing, keep grinding, and keep imagining. Whether you end up in the exact place you pictured or somewhere completely different, the effort you put in, the memories you make, and the people who share your journey will make it worth it. My dream of wearing Yankees pinstripes may have taken a different path, but standing in that sold-out stadium, feeling the energy, love, and support of everyone around me, I knew I had arrived. Not just at a destination, but at a moment that would forever remind me: dreams are worth every ounce of effort, and sometimes, they come true in ways even better than you ever imagined.