WASHINGTON — Students at Theodore Roosevelt High School had a chance to really bond with law enforcement on Friday as they played in their first ever basketball game against the FBI.
The FBI and DC Department of Parks and Recreation are shooting their shot by hosting this first of it’s kind event.
“It reminds me of the impression of the agency when I was coming in and the opportunities that were in front of me and to share my story and let them think about that in their future,” Washington Field Office Special Agent in charge, Kevin Vorndran said.
The goal is to break barriers and build better relationships with FBI, MPD, DC Department of Parks and Recreation and the community. This event was a part of the Roving Leaders Program.
Many of the 15 students involved were a part of the high school basketball team, and this experience gave them a fast break to opportunities they never imagined.
“Barriers can be broken when you expose things to things they've never seen before,” Director of DC Parks and Recreation, Thennie Freeman said. “We all hear the FBI and what that is and for a lot of young people it’s a scary thing, but the reality is this is a safe welcoming space."
Head basketball coach Robert Nickens said this gives kids an opportunity to speak to people that they wouldn’t normally get to know. He said he enjoyed seeing the students asking and answering questions during their tour and conversation.
“Our job is to put kids on positive paths no matter what roads they travel in life that may be negative it’s a roll that road leader job to redirect that situation,” Nickens said.
One of those students who said he’s now thinking about his future is Brendan Grant.
"I was actually surprised, I was very welcomed, me and my teammates were welcomed. It's a very good experience because we had never been here before, we didn’t know much about the FBI,” Senior and player, Brendan Grant said. "They said they had engineering careers, I'm definitely going to look into that. I do want to be an engineer when I get older."
He said this really changed his and his teammate’s perspective on things with people in law enforcement.
"At first I kind of had a negative thought about the FBI and police but this experience has definitely changed my outlook on police and FBI in general,” Grant said.
No plans have been made to make this an annual thing yet, but everyone involved said because students and agents were so engaged they hope they continue this.
"The opportunity to be able to do something in your life and in your future is way more important than basketball so that's what I think this experience coming to the FBI today gave us,” Nickens said.
Rosevelt’s team did win the game against the FBI. Former Metropolitan Police chief and now FBI Director of Office of Partner Engagement, Robert Contee III was also involved and stopped by to talk with students.
“If you set your mind to it, you can overcome challenges,” Contee said.
He talked about coming from a difficult environment and shared his personal story in hopes of inspiring others in the room. “I was focused because I needed to change my environment,” Contee said. He talked more about his father being addicted to drugs and how none of that determined his fate.
Another surprise before tip-off, Director of FBI, Christopher Wray stopped by and talked with students and the packed gym of people there to watch the game.