Stories

Sport: Baseball

School: Madison Park Technical Vocational High School

Favorite Subject: Math

Career Interests: Facilities Management

How did you get involved with The BASE?  I first came to The BASE as a freshman. A friend from school was playing baseball with The BASE and he recommended I come check it out. I started working out and got involved, just kept coming in after school and working on improving as a player. I tried out for every position and eventually became an infielder and pitcher. 

How is The BASE preparing you for success? It’s all about hard work and dedication. I come in every day and have learned to stay consistent and put in the work. But it’s also about the people here. My coaches help motivate me and my teammates have become friends. We train when we’re here and then outside we talk about life and keep each other on track. I feel like these experiences are helping me as a student and will help me achieve my goals. 

Sport: Softball (plus soccer & basketball)

School: John D. O’Bryant

Favorite Subject: Humanities

Plan for after High School: College

Career Interests: Marketing

How did you get involved with The BASE?

I played for RBI Softball and a couple girls on my RBI team also played for The BASE and they encouraged me to check it out. At first I just came for instruction. I was a sophomore and was a little intimidated b/c there were some really good players on the team. So I didn’t go out for the BASE team at first, but then in my junior year the other girls and coaches were really encouraging me to go for the 18U team, so decided to go for it and I made the team!

How has the BASE helped prepare you for the next step after high school?

I have gone on a lot of college tours and attended a bunch of college and career fairs and workshops. All the attention on applying to college has definitely got me thinking about it a lot, and it’s been good to learn about specific schools. The BASE Career Day at TJX Companies also had a big impact on me. I got to learn about so many different career paths just within that one company. I was also part of a discussion panel at the Women’s breakfast and that was awesome.

The BASE prioritizes academics, they really put the emphasis on the Student in student-athlete. Being surrounded by players who excel in school and by coaches who really want you to do well in school and off the field, all that makes a difference.

Brandon became a Program Associate at The BASE in 2024, leading our East Boston High School satellite program. He also serves as a baseball instructor and head coach of the BASE 16U team. Brandon is a proud BASE alumnus, having joined in 2016 as a sophomore in high school. He went on to attend Eastern Nazarene College, where he played baseball for four years and graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management.

Brandon enjoys assisting young people in striving for their goals and brings incredible energy and positivity to his work with our student-athletes, in the classroom at East Boston High School and on the field.

Mirelys is a senior at Wentworth Institute of Technology, majoring in biomedical engineering, and a BASE Instructor leading our Robotics program. She played softball for The BASE for four years, and earned an internship with our partner, GreenSight, working with drone technology.

How did you get involved with the BASE?
I came to Boston from Puerto Rico when I was in 9th grade. It was difficult, I was not that confident in my English and it was a whole new place. I played softball in P.R. so I joined my high school softball team and I got introduced to the BASE by a teammate. When I came to The BASE, I found a sense of family and people who cared about me.

The BASE changed the direction of my life. I was feeling angry and felt isolated when I first arrived. But I kept going to the BASE because I could feel it was a positive environment, the kids and the staff were positive people. There was a woman on the staff who was in college and was like a mentor to me, she helped me with English and I helped her because she was learning Spanish. Over time, I started being more open and started doing better in school.

How did your involvement with the BASE help prepare you for college?

Knowing I had the BASE made everything else easier and it helped motivate me to succeed. I put a lot of effort into learning English so I could do well in school. Then I got the support for applying to colleges, scholarships and financial aid, and when I got to Wentworth I was prepared.

The BASE is my home away from home. Even if they’re closed, I know I can call someone if I need them. That’s why I do the robotics program, to help young people the same way the BASE helped me.