Thank you UTA

This is my thank you letter. 

There is so much that I have to be grateful for in these past three years at UTA. 

I don’t really know where to start, because it is always painful to leave comfort. It is scary to go into the unknown. But, a life lived with Christ is never living in your comfort zone. It is always being called into the unknown.

I want to first show appreciation to my coaching staff. The only reason I ever wanted to come to UTA was because of Coach Gerlich, and I know everybody who knows me knows that. In high school I would have dreams of me wearing a UTA jersey with my number in it hugging her in championship games.

Real life doesn’t always happen just like your dreams, though. Actually, when we were jumping up and down celebrating a conference championship, Coach Gerlich jumped up and her shoulder shot up into my jaw and I had a shifted jaw for two weeks. I played it off pretty well and didn’t tell anyone except for Kelsey, two weeks later lol. THAT is not what happened in my dream, but life isn’t always how you envisioned it. 

I regret nothing from my choice to transferring to UTA. 

My redshirt year I grew so much as a person and did a complete 180 from the year before. I had never been as close to Christ as I was in that season of waiting, injury, and patience. I gained trust from my teammates and I found myself in Jesus and not in basketball. 

My first year back to basketball was full of so much excitement and hope for the future. I was so excited to fulfill all of these dreams I had when I was 17. But it was actually by far the hardest year of my life. So much more challenging than my freshman year. I had never felt so alone with no confidence in my life. Even though everything around me seemed dark and hopeless, I clinged to God super hard. I connected with Melissa, my mentor who is an Olympic trainee and alumni from UT’s (yeah big Texas) track team. Without Melissa, I would have found myself in some really low points. Every week we stayed loyal to each other and obedient to our commitment to meet and get into God’s Word together. Without her, I really don’t know if I could have made it out as strong as I did. I was so bitter, confused, crushed in spirit. Every week she instilled confidence in me, reassurance, and a mental toughness that has stuck with me since. 

The book of James talks about how trials and hard times produces maturity. “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I think it really confuses people to see me positive, upbeat, and encouraging others after knowing I endured perseverance. This is a gift from being close with God. 

After a very difficult and confusing season for me, I was so unsure and uncertain. I wanted so badly to seek change. I knew God was telling me to stay right where He had me. I listened to His voice over my own and over everyone else’s. That is one thing I know strongly, is my discernment in God’s voice. I didn’t know why, and I was scared and unsure of why, but I stayed. I remember telling God that I trusted Him, but there needed to be changes where I was at, if I wasn’t to change where I go. Every single change that I knew needed to be made, was done. 

My close friends joke all the time that I am “psychic” or that if “Brooke knows she knows”. Clearly, I didn’t know and never know what is in the future, but I trusted, and my faith overtook my fears for sure. 

My junior year of basketball, enduring through so much that I know no one else knows about, was by far played with all of my grit and passion. Every day was a grind, even doing the most basic tasks caused pain. 

Looking back on these three years, I just see how many dots have connected and all the people I have in my life because I chose to come here. I think back on how I was able to go on mission trips, was able to get baptized in the Pacific Ocean my redshirt year. How I let some random lady in my car and drove her to Walmart to pay for her groceries and pray for her (I did not tell my dad about this yikessss)!!! How I was able to pray over a family whose brother passed away in Arlington and speak a Word from God to them. How Kelsey and I made 30 sandwiches and went searching for homeless people in Dallas for 3 hours only to find 1 man on the side of the road. How I have made friendships that are deeper than superficial. The bible studies I got to lead in my apartment and the vulnerability that my teammates opened up with to me. Getting to study abroad for a month and travel Europe with strangers who became my friends. Telling my teammate to come to Honduras with me to serve and 2 weeks later we were there. 

Making 2 three pointers in a row from 5 spots and back in 2 minutes to save my team from running and my whole team screaming and jumping on me against the wall in the blue gym one morning, with my grandparents sitting in the bleachers. Hitting five three pointers on kid’s day and not being able to walk back to my apartment without signing hundreds of autographs and taking pictures with kids who called me “Miss Brooke” for whatever reason I don’t know why, but I was totally cool with it. Hitting 11 points in 2 minutes with the three to get our team to 100 points against Arkansas State thanks to the best screeners ever, Kelsey and Mac. Having a mom come to me with her two daughters and look me in the eyes and tell me that her daughters were unsure of playing basketball, and after seeing the way I played, they both decided they wanted to play.

All of these memories built my character and made me realize why God brought me here and to stay here to graduate. I am proud to graduate from UTA with a degree in International Business and minor in Spanish. It is one of my greatest accomplishments and was extremely challenging, but so worth it. I am thankful I listened for God’s direction and voice above my own. 

With all of the great memories and people I have gained from my experience at UTA, I feel a tug on my heart to make an impact and be a part of a new program and opportunity. This decision was most definitely not made off of emotion or flesh. I have been praying and fasting about this decision for months now and have peace with something that isn’t easy doing and is super terrifying leaving a territory close to home that is so familiar, but I want to stay obedient to what God wants for me and I trust what He has for me. 

The most often repeated command in Scripture is “do not fear”. This is obviously not by accident, it is a very specific thing that God addressed because He knew what our greatest weakness would be. He knew the greatest point of failure, or the greatest point of turning from opportunity, or the very thing that would keep us from the lifestyle of courage that he designed for us. The only time when I start to become afraid is when I lose sight of God. When I am locked into God, every attempt of the enemy is just not impressive. The bold, crazy, courage to just simply not fear. Every time you say no to fear, the enemy is not only disappointed, but is reminded that he is doomed. 

I have no idea what my future is, what it’ll bring, and why God put this on my heart so strongly, but He has not failed me yet. I feel no anger or bitterness towards anyone and nothing but love and appreciation for all of the people and all of the selfless things done for me as a student-athlete at UTA. Regardless if anyone understands this decision or not, regardless if I upset some people or not, I just truly want this decision to be one that I know was Spirit led. 

Thank you to my teammates from sophomore year til now. Thank you to Ericka for allowing me to pour into you, to LB for letting me share my faith with you and yours with mine. Thank you to Terryn for allowing me to be your mentor and trusting me. To Claire for being honestly such a confidence booster. We are the best 3 guards ever lol. To Emma for always being the sweetest person, even when others didn’t treat you the way you should be treated. To Mac for being a sweet encouragement, even when you don’t hear it yourself. To Katie, for being my best friend and becoming close all because you let me use your washer and dryer lol. To Kels for being there for me through it all. I am grateful for our friendship and all of the ups and downs we have been through together. I know you will always be there.

My experiences and the people I met in my time at UTA will always be in my heart and I understand that every experience has led me up until this moment. God is leading my way and I'm going for it. I hope my journey inspires young girls who find out about me to follow their dreams and seek God continually, with all of the things that are constantly thrown at us. Stay true to yourself and go do crazy things, like move to New York to transfer to Syracuse University for just a year fighting chronic injuries, all the while getting a master's in one of the hardest grad programs in the country. I knew God said there was more, I just didn't realize it was THIS. I will be extremely busy for the next 6-8 months and it will by far be the most challenging year of my life, but I couldn't be more excited for dreams to be made into a reality and the major growth that I'll have within the next year. It has just been three weeks at Syracuse and I have already grown tremendously as a player, student, and in my faith.

Seriously, this is crazy. So just go do crazy things. It'll confuse so many people and inspire so many people. Stay true to yourself and close to God, always.