Walter Ball

Activist, Athlete, Christian, Educator/Teacher, Entrepreneur, Explorer, Foodie, Parent, Single, Student

As an 18-year-old, Walter thought he knew it all. Yet, he squandered the privilege of a higher education and countless opportunities to be succcessful, including as a college basketball player. However, in prison, Walter was able to rebound and gain another shot. Graduating from college in 2015, Walter dedicates himself to mentoring at-risk youth and has completed a plethora of rehabilitation programs. Today, as a 37-year-old man and proud father who has served 19 years in prison so far, he now realizes that your decisions determine your direction, your direction determines your destiny, and your destiny determines your legacy.

my daughter, my freedom, family, educating the youth, mentoring, equality, prison reform, real estate, HGTV, traveling, super yachts, boats, dogs, nature, sports

While I can come to understand we will not abolish prisons, it is my hope that we can begin to understand there are other options / alternatives before incarceration. And the recidivism for violent offenders is lower than nonviolent.

communicating, eating, learning from my mistakes

Inspired!! This word embodies what the TEDx experience has done for me. I must admit, while I had come across the term TEDx/TED talks through various books I have read, I still had very limited knowledge of TEDx, TED talks, or any other type of TED. But as I began to enter the world of TEDx, it was evident that TEDx was something truly special. One of my first videos was that of Bryan Stevenson, a legal advocate for juveniles sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He began by sharing about his youth and memories with grandma and family. Things I could surely relate to. But one of the most profound areas of his talk was when he spoke about how he submitted a legal motion to the courts for his young client under another identity. His point was not complex, but simple. Just as it was absurd to file a motion under an identity other than this youth, his client. So, it is for the court to charge and treat this obvious child as an adult. How can something that makes complete sense be yet so profound? I am a huge supporter of the youth, mentoring them for the last 13 years of my incarceration. So maybe that commonality spoke directly to me. But since viewing that talk, I have been so inspired and motivated to do more for the youth. As Mr. Stevenson works on the end of fighting to get our youth out of prison, I work on the end to prevent them from going in the first place -- a call we all must answer.

dancing, cooking, swimming, listening