By Saba Mahmoudi:

The courage and the passion that comes from within is what keeps senior basketball player Rita Kenjoian motivated to keep moving forward to become the best at what she does.

“There is just something in me that pushes me to practice harder, something that makes me want to get better at doing this,” Kenjoian said.

She plays basketball for Birmingham Community Charter High School, as well as for a team at her church.  She has been playing for BCCHS under the guidance of Coach Hollie Wilson for all her four years of high school.

Kenjoian started playing when she was seven-years-old and her brother Nshan  has been a great support for her throughout her  years as an athlete.

“My brother Nshan has a great influence on me, actually he was the reason I started playing basketball,” Kenjoian said.

For now, she is not planning to continue playing basketball after her graduation, so it does not interfere with her other work.

“Most days I get home around six in afternoon,” Kenjoian said. “Even though as a senior I don’t have so much homework, sometimes it’s still hard to manage my time in order to get everything done.”

One of Kenjoian best moments since she started playing was when she got her MVP for winning the championship during last summer’s tournament  in July.

Her goal for this upcoming season is to win league championship against league opponents Taft Charter High School, El Camino High School, Granada Hills Charter High School, Chatsworth High School and Cleveland Charter High School.

“I believe we can do this, we practiced hard and we are ready,” Kenjoian said.