Annie La Fleur
ASIDE from hosting workshops on island, retired WNBA player and Olympic silver medalist Annie La Fleur also paid a visit to Marianas High School and Saipan Southern High School as a motivational speaker.
She said a particular letter from an MHS student touched her heart.
At MHS, “I thought I was speaking to a couple of classes. but we had about 200 students. It was truly amazing.”
She said she talked about her life and all the hardship that she had to go through to get to where she is now.
“It’s not going to be easy. There will be a lot of ups and downs. It’s what you do, when things are down, that defines you. There will always be challenges,” La Fleur told the students.
“It’s nice to talk about yourself but I actually received some letters,” she added.
One of them was from a boy, which surprised La Fleur as she thought she left a stronger impression on the girls.
The letter from the male student stated: “Thank you, you are my role model. It’s great to hear from somebody that didn’t have much being able to achieve things. I hope you have a good time here in Saipan. And P.S., if you’re looking for a fishing spot go to Smiling Cove.”
La Fleur, who is also the FIBA Oceania National Federation and sport development manager, said the letter was “special because they didn’t have to do that, to say thank you. I will treasure it.”
La Fleur said the letter made her think about the people in her life who mentored her and gave her the opportunity to achieve her goals. She said she wants to reach out and thank them again.
