My name is Laken James and my story starts in the small town of Oconto, Wisconsin. When I was a young girl I fell in love with the game of basketball. I finally pestered my Dad long enough that I convinced him to paint lines on the driveway so I had an “official” court. I remember sitting there, smiling, watching as he painted on the lines. I was dreaming of all the places this new court could take me. When he finished, he handed me the basketball saying, “You can be as good as you want to be”. There was no pressure, no expectations but in that moment, I realized that I’m in control of my journey. Whatever my dreams were, I was responsible for chasing them because no one else could make MY dreams come true but ME. On that day, I became the author of my own story and ever since then; I’ve been writing it one chapter at a time.