Inside the Huddle | 'I Want To Be Someone Little Kids Can Look Up To': Bostic Serves as Role Model, Inspiration for Younger Generations in Senior Season
by Jackson Janes, University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics / Feb 19, 2024
Once her time with the Orange and Blue comes to a close, SPED graduate student Kendall Bostic, AHS '23, hopes to be remembered for her work ethic and inspirational story. Oh, and don’t forget about her rebounding.
“I would rather have a game with 25 rebounds and no points than 25 points and no rebounds. It's weird, but that's just how I think. That is something that is near and dear to my heart,” Bostic says. “I think that just exemplifies who I am as an athlete and who I am as a person. I want to do all the nitty gritty stuff. I want to do the little things to get my team the win.
“I just want to be remembered as someone who had fun, worked hard, and inspired people. I want to be someone little kids can look up to," she says. "When I was little, I thought college players were professionals. I was like, 'I can never get to that point.' It's crazy.”
Kendall knows she will not be able to play basketball forever, which is why she is pursuing a master’s degree in special education. Relationships are at the heart of everything she does, and that does not stop with teaching.
Wanting to make an impact on the lives of future generations, Kendall completed her undergraduate studies in speech and hearing sciences in three years and realized her destiny came in the form of being an educator.
“I love being able to impact kids and being able to be someone who they look up to for guidance,” Kendall Bostic said. “My mom is a behavior consultant, and getting to hear how she impacts those kids and those adults, it's like, ‘I can do that. Those people are forever changed due to my mom.’ I want to be able to do that and help kids.”
Honored that her daughter is taking inspiration from her professional endeavors, Angie Bostic is fully supportive of Kendall’s dreams of being a teacher. It did not come as a surprise that she would eventually pursue that field, especially after recognizing Kendall’s emphasis on relationship-building at an early age.
Read the full story from the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics...