Hayward, CA – On September 9, men’s basketball center Omar Samhan visited the sixth graders of Bowman Elementary School, located in Hayward. The reason for his trip was to speak to the kids about education during their academic rally, which focused on last year’s STAR 9 scores.

Samhan spoke to the Bowman kids about succeeding academically and fulfilling their dreams of going to college.

Omar Samhan speaks about college, hard work, and effort!

“For many of the students here, they hear so much negativity about their chances in life and it is important that positive messages be heard from people like Omar who have succeeded in life, on and off the court,” said Bowman Principal Maria Elena.

Growing up, Samhan was diagnosed with a learning disability and was enrolled in the resource specialist program (RSP) at his school. He knows firsthand what the kids of Bowman are going through, to feel like many are questioning their ability to succeed and continue on to college. “I know how many of those kids feel, I was told growing up that I would never go to college because I did not read very well, and as an RSP student, it really hurt to hear that. I worked very hard academically and athletically to get to where I am today,” said Samhan.

Principal Elena invited Samhan to speak to the Bowman kids again during next month’s academic rally. Samhan extended his commitment to Bowman, the RSP class in particular, vowing to visit a few more times. “One visit does not benefit as much as being there consistently and I want to make a difference in as many communities as I can,” said Samhan.

Last season, Diamon Simpson 09′ visited Bowman, which is in his hometown of Hayward. Like Samhan, he spoke to the kids about education and what he went through growing up and what it feels like to succeed as a student-athlete.