Demarieh Wesley: Bridge Lacrosse
Demarieh Wesley was introduced to lacrosse as a seventh-grade student at Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy (BOMLA), an all-boys Dallas ISD magnet school in southern Dallas. Bridge Lacrosse, started in 2008, is a nonprofit lacrosse program, brings the game of lacrosse to students living in South Dallas, as their mission states “… to use lacrosse to broaden the horizons of our community’s youth.” Most of their participants are Black or Hispanic and have never seen the sport many consider to be a sport of the privileged. The program strives to do more than just teach athletic skills for the field but also to form students through exposure to activities outside their communities. Bridge provides after-school/Saturday homework sessions and travel opportunities, as well as college preparation courses so that all players are ready for their next steps after they graduate from high school.