Many students at Mills are not only sports rounded, but also carry leadership skills wherever they go. Unitedly is a nonprofit organization located in San Mateo County that stands by promoting leadership and confidence on and off the court.
Founded in 2023, the founder Alyson Suzuki created Unitedly to represent and give a voice to the Asian basketball community in San Mateo County. Having kids of her own who actively play basketball, they gave her the inspiration for the creation of Unitedly. The board of Unitedly also includes a variety of voices to ensure everyone apart of the nonprofit is heard.
An extension of Unitedly that incorporates two of our very own basketball players from Mills is Game Changers. Game Changers is the newly founded extension created to extend the mission of Unitedly to Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) student-athletes. Being a part of Game Changers allows student-athletes to share their voice, teamwork, leadership, and skills to create meaningful change.
One of the two students who is actively a part of Game Changers is Brandon Chu (10). Chu is a sophomore who is on the Mills basketball team and also plays AAU club basketball as well. Chu was recognized by Unitedly not only as a student-athlete, but also as an individual with dedicated leadership skills.
When asked about his accomplishment, Chu mentioned, “I was one of the few people selected out of about the fifty people who applied. I also got to meet a lot of more well-known Asian athletes.” He commented more about the application process stating that it was determined on a Google Form where students all across San Mateo County had the opportunity to apply for the recognition. It was then later posted to the Unitedly Instagram account.
“I was surprised because there were a lot of applicants and they chose me,” he added when talking about his initial reaction. Even though his accomplishment was only posted onto the Unitedly Instagram page, Chu getting featured not only shows that Mills’ students thrive in leadership skills, but are also amazing students and athletes.
The second student that was recognized under the same accomplishment is Jacelyn Lam (12). Lam is a senior at Mills who is also an active player on the court. “I applied to be a part of Unitedly’s Game Changers program where a selected number of high school athletes get to gain leadership skills and experiences through basketball. Basketball workouts and training are provided, as well as leadership workshops to help give back to the Asian community,” Lam commented.
When asked if she felt accomplished, she added, “Yes, I am honored to represent the program as part of the first cohort. Out of many applicants from high schools around the county, I was one of the ten student athletes selected, as well as one out of two female student athletes to represent this cohort.”
With Jacelyn Lam being a part of the United Game Changers, she shared her personal experience of how her grandfather and aunt are the people who inspired her desire for impact in our San Mateo County community. Lam’s grandpa was an active person in our community who often taught free art lessons and Chinese calligraphy to children and adults while being a former community leader. On the other hand, Lam’s aunt was an activist who advocated for both social justice and mental health issues in our very own county. Having her aunt and grandpa being figures to look up to in her own life, she takes the inspiration with her every day.
The creation of Game Changers gives many student-athletes the opportunity to share the impact they want on the world. No matter how big or small of an idea, Unitedly is creating the next generation of leaders.
