Dwayne Edwards teamed up with Lisa Leslie, my childhood hero, to help young women at Morningside Highschool learn about the possibilities in design as future career options.
Dwayne was born and raised in Inglewood himself and always had a passion for drawing. Although he does not recommend it, he admits to having drawn shoes while his classmates took notes in high school. He continued to draw while working for a shoe store and eventually landed himself a job in design. He has worked for Nike for close to 20 years and has designed some of Nike's most popular shoes.
He invited his friend and Inglewood peer, basketball superstar Lisa Leslie, to talk to the young women about their aspirations and the importance of passion and dedication in their lives. Watch these videos to learn more about the Future Sole contest and why Lisa Leslie is a complete rockstar...
Sunday, August 31, 2008. As soon as I arrived at the L.A. Coliseum I immediately posted up inside the media zone where celebrities and world-class athletes arrived for the Nike Human Race.
What a weird space to be in. I never thought of myself as a paparazzi-type but as soon as the celebrities and athletes came strolling through, it was feast or famine in order to snag the best shot and interview. Surprisingly, however, most of the photogs were pleasant (though I can't really say the same for some PR people – eh, get over yourselves already, I say!).
Anyhoo, my first shot and interview came from gold medalist and LA Sparks center, Lisa Leslie. I've always heard great things about Lisa Leslie – and she didn't disappoint. Leslie's personality was warm and welcoming, a refreshing encounter. Though I like to think I'm tall for the average female, homegirl towered over me as I grabbed a quick interview with the gold-medal-wearing athlete.
Also while in the media zone, I snapped some shots of actors and actresses, including Jerry O'Connell, Jason Priestley, Tiffany Amber Thiessen, and The Great Debaters actress Kimberly Elise. I also got a chance to sit down with Elise and talk about the race. I found out that Elise is a former track athlete – (hey, I have something in common with the critically acclaimed actress!)
JERRY O'CONNELL
JASON PRIESTLEY
TIFFANY AMBER THIESSEN
KIMBERLY ELISE
While participants were running around the city, American Idol judge and host extraordinaire, Randy Jackson, stayed behind and chatted up with some news media. Jackson helped host the event throughout the night. Cool dude, and yes, he really is da man.
RANDY JACKSON
Check out all the cool interviews I snagged below! Great night, indeed.
