Meet the 2007 Hoops Sagrado Participants!

Brittney is making her second trip to Guatemala with Hoops. Brittney graduated from Lackey High School in Maryland (before that she had been at Thurgood Marshall Academy in D.C.) and will be attending Trinity University in the District in the fall.

Jonathan Marc learned about Hoops through his Spanish teacher at McKinley Tech where he will be a junior in the fall. He is currently training to become a tour guide at the U.S. Holcaust Museum. This will be Jonathan's first trip outside of the U.S.

Bibi is returning to Guatemala for a second time with Hoops Sagrado. Bibi is an Adams Morgan kid and member of the Teen Learning Center. He'll be a sophormore at DeMatha Senior High School in the fall.

Dontrell is making his second trip to Guatemala with Hoops after taking the 2006 summer off. Trell (as we like to call him) will be a junior at Wilson Senior High School in the fall and is a longtime participant in the Teen Learning Center in Adams Morgan.

Arsenio is making his first trip out of the country with Hoops Sagrado. Arsenio will be a senior at the Maya Angelou Public Charter school in the fall.

Kendra is making her second trip to Guatemala with Hoops. She will be a senior at Ursinus College in the fall and is serving as a counselor on this year's trip.

Nadia will be a senior at Cesar Chavez Public Charter School of Public Policy in the fall and found out about Hoops through the Latin American Youth Center. Nadia applied for the program because she believes visiting Guatemala will help her understand more about who she is.

Jordyn is obsessed with basketball. "Basketball is my life, my passion and my heart," is a line from her application essay. Jordyn will be a freshman at Paul VI in the fall.

Brandon is making his second trip to Guatemala with Hoops, but this will be his first time with us for the full month. Brandon will be a junior at The Field School and recently recieved honors from the Field JV Basketball team.

Odinga is an amazing photographer who is looking forward to turning his talents toward Guatemala. He is a first-time Hoops participant and will be a senior at Coolidge Senior High in the fall. Odinga is part of the Latin American Youth Center in Columbia Heights.

Mindy is making the summer trip to Guatemala for the fourth time and serves at the unofficial team mom (she always has band-aides).

Sam is making his fifth trip to Guatemala with Hoops Sagrado. A junior at the University of Massachusetts, Sam will serve as one of our counselors.

Ernest will be a senior at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania in the fall. This will be Ernest's second trip to Guatemala with Hoops and his first serving as a counselor.

Sandra was born in the U.S. to Guatemalan parents. This will be her second trip back to Guatemala, but her first time leaving the capital. Sandra said she applied for the program because she wants to learn more about her Mayan heritage.

Victor will be a junior at McKinley Tech in the fall. He has a life-long passion for basketball and has done a lot of volunteer work with children in D.C. This is his first time out of the country.

Akasha was on her school basketball team and played in the Jelleff League. This will be her first trip out of the country. Akasha will be a ninth grader at Georgetown Day School next year.

Jackie will be a senior at Cesar Chavez School of Public Policy in the fall. Jackie lived in El Salvador until she was six and will spend her mornings in one of the villages teaching English. Jackie hopes to be an immigration lawyer some day.

Ronald comes to Hoops through the Teen Learning Center in Adams Morgan. This will be his first trip outside of the country. He will be a junior at The Field School in the fall.

Johari is back with Hoops for a second summer. He just turned 15 and will be starting 10th grade at School Without Walls in the fall.

Stan is making his third trip to Guatemala with Hoops. Stan is graduating from Michigan State University in December and will serve as one of our conselors.

Aniekan is a mural artist in Washington, D.C. This will be Aniekan's fifth trip to Guatemala as an adult leader. In addition to working in one of the camps, Aniekan will paint a mural at one of the schools. Last year he painted a mural in Xejuyup.

Jerren is an Adams Morgan resident making his first trip out of the country with Hoops. Jerren is 16 and will be a junior at Bell Multicultural High School in the fall.

Bryan is the founder of Hoops Sagrado. Bryan founded Hoops in 1999 as a way to combine his passion for basketball, with his love of children, Guatemala and the Mayan culture. In addition to Hoops, Bryan is an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Adams Morgan, rabid Portland Trailblazers fan, a husband and a dad the two greatest kids ever!