David Stoddard once said, “Getting the most out of life isn’t about how much you keep for yourself, but how much you pour into others.” Throughout our lives, we all face challenges that encourage us to learn, grow and overcome.

We might not understand why we go through adversity, but life will later show us that everything is delicately instrumented for a greater purpose.

These challenges create a resiliency within us that will live for years to come, and hopefully, we can one day instill those same lessons in others. L’Damian Washington has seen this time after time, and throughout it all, he is giving others something to cheer about beyond the football field.

Cheers erupted from the gym of Moberly Middle School as Washington encouraged a 6-foot-4-inch middle schooler to dunk a basketball. He aims for the first time, but misses. It is the roaring sound of his classmate’s cheers that pushes him to succeed on the next shot. Washington understands the misses and the aims to succeed.

While encouraging others, he continues to inspire and invoke the idea that “everyone wants to be a diamond, but nobody wants to get cut, but it is in those times of cutting that we become sharper.”

Washington’s story has seen numerous amounts of cutting, but he encourages the faces of adolescent children to never give up because we must succeed for those who believe in us, even when we don’t believe in ourselves. Whether it’s on the football field or in a gym full of students, Washington wants those who once cheered for him to now cheer for themselves.

Photo gallery from the event here.