Stories
Behind the numbers and statistics, each BASE student-athlete and alumnus has a story to tell. On this page, we share some background information and let you know a little about the journeys our young people travel on their personal roads to success.
BASE Student-Athletes
Penelope, 12th Grade
Sport: Softball
School: Fontbonne Academy
Favorite Subject: History
Plan for after High School: Army Reserves & College
Career Interests: Criminal Justice
How did you get involved with The BASE?
I heard about The BASE from friends and teammates in the RBI program back in 7th grade, when I first started playing softball.
How has the BASE helped prepare you for the next step after high school?
It has helped me prepare because The BASE is always providing resources to help you learn about colleges and apply. The coaches help keep you on track and provide structure, make sure you’re doing well in school and staying on top of your grades.
Favorite BASE memory?
It’s not just one memory, but all the van rides and trips to the games. All the girls and coaches would have this great energy and excitement, with everybody hyping each other up and having fun.
TJ, College Freshman
Sport: Basketball
School: Fairfield University
Career Interests: Business Management & Marketing
How did you get involved with The BASE?
I started playing with BASE Hoopz in 8th Grade. My Dad saw a flyer and got in touch with Coach Andre at The BASE and it just took off from there.
How have you been involved with The BASE off the court?
I had an internship with The BASE this past summer, and this school year I am working as an instructor in the BASE Robotics program. I am also participating in the College Access Program this year, working with the BASE College Advisor through the whole college application process.
Beyond the programs, The BASE has introduced me to a lot of opportunities through meeting people in government and leadership. It has given me this idea that I can really achieve anything that I put my mind to. Before the BASE I didn’t necessarily have that faith in myself but now I am confident that if I bet on myself and put in the work I can achieve anything.
Favorite BASE memory?
Traveling with my teammates, especially one trip when we traveled out to Las Vegas and stayed in an Airbnb house instead of a hotel. The tournament was cool but the best part was just spending the week hanging with my teammates.
Joel, College Freshman
Sport: Baseball
School: Southern New Hampshire University
Career Interests: Baseball, Engineering
How did you get involved with The BASE? I was practicing baseball by myself at the Madison Park fields and the BASE team was holding their own practice. They saw me playing by myself and invited me to come and join them and practice with the team. I was 16 at the time. They saw I could play and invited me to come to The BASE. I’ve never stopped going since.
How has The BASE helped you prepare for the next step after high school? The BASE has helped me with everything. I have more confidence in everything I do and they’ve helped me be more open socially. I am doing better in school, I am getting help with college applications, and over the summer I got offered a scholarship for a two-year junior college and baseball academy in Houston. The BASE is like a family, they’ve helped me get resources, make friends, and improve every aspect of my baseball game.
Favorite BASE Memory: I was playing with my teammates at a tournament in Florida this past summer and I found out I got a scholarship to play baseball at junior college in Houston.
BASE Alumni
Jesus Moscat
Jesus was a member of The BASE from 2015-2018, his freshman year through senior year of high school. He played baseball with us throughout that time, and also participated in the precursor to what is now the College Access Program.
Jesus is now a junior at Lesley University, majoring in Business Management and playing on the university baseball team.
How did you get involved with the BASE?
I was playing baseball on my dad’s team out of Roslindale and The BASE was running their own leagues and tournaments for teams from across the city. I heard about all the stuff they offered and decided to check it out. By my freshman year me and some friends were at The BASE basically every day.
How did The BASE help prepare you for success after high school?
The BASE opened new perspectives for me. It gave me the idea that I could be a business leader some day. They would introduce us to CEOs and successful leaders and it inspired me to pursue that route myself. Hearing their stories inspired a lot of us to believe that we could have the same success story, that even if things are stacked against you if you believe and work hard anything is doable. Being at The BASE had a huge impact on me.
What are you plans for your career?
I will complete my undergraduate degree in 2024 and probably will go right into an MBA program. I don’t have it all figured out just yet but I want to get out there and get the business experience I need so that I can pursue my own projects in the future. I would love to open my own organization similar to The BASE one day.
Mirelys Vega
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.
Ke'Mauree Williams
Ke’Mauree is an basketball instructor and coach in BASE Hoopz. He also serves as head coach for the middle school basketball team at Catholic Memorial. An athlete and an artist, Ke’Mauree is a musician and producer. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Thomas College.
How did you get involved with The BASE? I first came into The BASE in 2014 with my basketball coach, Andre John. The BASE was just launching at that time, and that was my senior year of high school. So I got involved with The BASE but then soon after I went to attend Thomas College in Waterville, Maine, where I played college basketball and track & field.
How has The BASE impacted your life? The BASE honestly saved my life. I was a successful student-athlete in college and graduated in four years, in 2018. But when I came home, I started falling off track with my life. I was struggling with family issues and my friends weren’t doing positive things, and honestly I was just lost at that time in my life. I had earned a Bachelor’s degree but wasn’t doing anything with it, and had gotten myself in trouble and was on probation.
One day, I met back up with Coach Dre and he told me The BASE was launching BASE Hoopz and he wanted to give me an opportunity to get involved. Since then, I have been able to stay on track and have been working part-time at The BASE as well as working full-time with the Department of Youth Services, trying to help kids who are facing some of the same issues I dealt with.
At my low point, I came to The BASE just to be here around positive people and stay safe. It was like a family, and it wasn’t just about the programs – it was because of the people and the culture. The BASE is all about love and family.
The staff never judged me, even at my lowest point. When I was lost and struggling, they welcomed me in and saw my potential. I’ll never forget what The BASE has done for me.