What's your WHY?

“I Beat the Odds” BTO Li Ja represents Auburn, Alabama, but his story stretches far beyond city limits. Raised between Auburn and Tuskegee, Alabama, Li Ja grew up in housing authority projects surrounded by environments designed to break, not build. Pain, struggle, and instability were part of everyday life but so was resilience. Those early trials didn’t just shape his story; they shaped the man he would become. “I’ve struggled just about all my life,” he says. “And I would

Some athletes fall into their sport. Others are shaped by it from the very beginning. For Corban Johnson , basketball has been part of his life for as long as he can remember and it all started with a mini hoop, Kobe Bryant highlights, and a belief planted early that hard work would always matter. Raised between Eufaula, Alabama, and Columbus, Georgia , Corban grew up learning the value of family and effort. Those environments taught him to stay connected to the people close

There are moments in life that do not define who you are, but they do demand a decision about who you will become. In 2026, What’s Your Why  will introduce a powerful new segment titled What’s Your Why: Still Becoming , with the tagline Second Chance Stories —a platform created to amplify the voices of young people currently in juvenile detention who are preparing to reenter their communities. This is not a program about mistakes. This is a program about movement, growth, and

Some athletes are born into opportunity. Others grow up learning how to value every inch of progress because nothing was handed to them. Paul “PJ” Cooper  is firmly rooted in the second group. Born in Youngstown, Ohio , PJ’s early life was shaped by sacrifice, humility, and resilience. Living with his cousins, uncle, mother, and sister, resources were limited—but perspective was rich. “We didn’t grow up with a lot,” PJ says, “and it made me appreciate the small things and whe

Featuring: Patrick “PJ” Wolfe Jr. | Quarterback | Allen University There are quarterbacks who play the position, and then there are quarterbacks who live it . Patrick Wolfe Jr. known to most simply as PJ, falls into the second category. His story isn’t about overnight success or natural gifts alone. It’s about fight. It’s about faith. And it’s about a young man who refused to let circumstance, competition, or doubt write his story for him. Raised in Metro Atlanta after being

Featuring: Silas Nuckles | Class of 2027 | Buford High School | ATH There’s a quiet intensity to athletes who know exactly where they’re going and why they’re on the journey. For Buford High School’s multi-position standout Silas Nuckles , that clarity didn’t arrive overnight. It was forged early, through family, faith, and the constant pull of a game that has shaped him into more than just another promising athlete coming out of Georgia. Silas isn’t just playing football. He