UKNIGHT FOR EDUCATION: ERIKA GROWS FROM READING THE BIBLE

ERIKA JONES: A book that has had a profound effect on me is the Bible, because it keeps me on a steady path where I can seek the Lord and get to know Him better. I feel as if it is my notebook for the test of life. For everything that I have went through or I am going to go through, there is a solution. This book helps my faith to become stronger as I see what people have went through and overcame through God's mercy and how His Son gave his life so that we may be free. The Bible will forever have a great influence in my life.  

UKNIGHT FOR EDUCATION: KAYLI LEARNS ABOUT SACRIFICE AND BRAVERY THROUGH READING

KAYLI KEOUGH: Obviously the Bible has had the strongest effect on my life in that it's truly changed my perspective on everything.  But excluding that, I'd have to say "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.  It shows all of the amazing things that are possible when a few individuals are brave enough to follow their instincts.  It also shows how at times sacrifice is the only way to make things happen; we must give up a lot in order to gain a lot.  Hearing people's stories is so eye-opening.

UKNIGHT FOR EDUCATION: GEVENIA LEARNS LIFE LESSONS FROM READING

GEVENIA CARTER: When I was younger I read a book by Sharon M. Draper called "Darkness Before Dawn." The book touched me because it talked about many things I had seen growing up. If it was friends or loved ones, a woman or girl I knew had experienced what these women in the book had. It talks about things people would ignore and don't want to accept happening. I was able to gain understanding that life isn't fair, and that it could always be worse.

UKNIGHT FOR EDUCATION: BOOKS IMPACT AISHA AND MEGHAN

AISHA PATRICK: The book that had an impact with me was "Their Eyes Were Watching God" I read this book my senior year in high school and enjoyed it. They also made a movie about it.  This book impacted me because it was a woman who didn't have much and went through not having anything to gaining a lot to losing it all and had faith that God would guide her through her problems.

MEGHAN KEOUGH: I'm actually in the middle of reading this book, but I really like it so far so thought I would use it. It's called "3:16 The Numbers Of Hope" by Max Lucado. It breaks down John 3:16 and spends a couple chapters explaining each part of He loves, He gave, We believe, We live. It has a lot of good stories from the bible but also incorporates lessons for life in today's world. I've never really read a book like this before, but I like it a lot. Every night that I get to read, I can always seem to relate something that happened to me that day and gain new perspective on it. 

UKNIGHT FOR EDUCATION BOOKMARKS

Part of the UKnight for Education initiative is to provide bookmarks for all the elementary school students in Orange County in hopes of promoting a pro-reading message.  Here is a look at the bookmarks that were delivered to the schools this week. 

UKNIGHT FOR EDUCATION: BRYEASHA READS ABOUT THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF HELPING OTHERS

BRYEASHA BLAIR: A book that really had an effect on me was "Cry, The Beloved Country" by Alan Paton. This book had a effect on me because the main character in the book was called upon by someone in another country seeking his help to assist an ill family member. Without hesitation, he traveled and not only helped the sick one but ended up doing a lot of positive things for the country. It showed me that no matter what, when you are called to make a change, take advantage of it because you never know how large the result will be for you and others.  

UKNIGHT FOR EDUCATION: STEPHANIE LEARNS A GREAT LIFE LESSON FROM A BOOK

STEPHANIE TAYLOR: A book that had an effect on me was the "Pretty Little Liars" series.  In these books, a group of friends would lie and had to lie even more to hide the first lies.  I learned that it is best to be truthful and as much as you think it may be safer to lie even if you're protecting someone, it's always less stressful and more safe to tell the truth.  There's always someone there who you can trust.

UKNIGHT FOR EDUCATION: RACINE AND LEO TALK ABOUT CHILDREN'S BOOKS

RACINE DAVIS: The book that had the most profound effect on me, was "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein, mainly cause it was one of my first books I could read by myself. I also adored the story about giving, especially when the tree had nothing left to give  yet it was still happy to help the ones it loved.

LEO MONTALVO: A book that has had a profound effect on me is a children’s book named, "Love You Forever," written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Sheila McGraw. It was one of the first books I read.

UKNIGHT FOR EDUCATION BOOK REVIEW: "DREAM GIVER"

ASHIA KELLY: The book that impacted my life the most was the "Dream Giver" by Bruce Wilkinson. This book had a major effect on my life because it was about one person's journey towards their dream. It talked about all the obstacles that one must face in order to get their destination. It taught me that adversity comes with every success and that it my responsibility to endure the pain in order to gain a rewarding future. It is a very short book but contains some very meaningful lessons. That is why I love this book so much.

UKNIGHT FOR EDUCATION SET FOR SUNDAY

FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AISHA!

SISTER ACT

Here's an excerpt of a great article written by John Denton for UCF Knights Insider:

To see the way sisters Kayli and Meghan Keough mesh so well now on the court, the way they support each other through tough times as roommates and speak so highly of one another as best friends, you'd have no idea of the battles they used to wage while playing pick-up basketball in their hometown of Land O' Lakes.

Those knock-down, dragged-out pick-up games were doozies between the much taller Kayli and the much faster Meghan. But in a strange sort of way, those competitive battles helped form the unbreakable bond between the two sisters who currently star for the UCF women's basketball team.
 
"I picked on her a lot, especially when we played basketball in the driveway," remembered Kayli, now a 6-foot-2 power forward for the Knights. "I obviously had my growth spurt before she did, so I was a lot bigger. And then she got really fast, so I had to chase her around and she'd burn me off the dribble. Those were wars. We used to go back and forth, and somebody would get mad and say something or chuck the ball in the bush and run into the house. We'd get really mad at one another.
 
"But now my sister is my best friend,'' Kayli continued. "We get along so well and I always know that she's going to tell me the truth. It's good to have that backbone here with me in college.''
 
The Keough sisters are getting the chance to bond once again and play together at UCF due to a stroke of fate. Meghan, a true freshman guard, committed to UCF first following a stellar high school career where she led Tampa Catholic to two state titles. Kayli, a redshirt junior, originally attended Florida State, but transferred to UCF last year after her sister suggested that she look into UCF's program.
 
Now, they are reunited and both are playing well for the Knights (3-4), who host Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday at 7 p.m. at UCF Arena. Kayli moved into the starting lineup over the Thanksgiving holiday and has scored 23 and 13 points in the past two games, respectively, and is fourth on the team in scoring at 9.7 points per game. Meghan has struggled with her jump shot and the faster pace of the college game, but she is still averaging 6.9 points and 2.1 rebounds and has made five starts.

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/t9FZUl

UCF KNIGHTS ENJOY LIGHT UP THE HOLIDAYS

SARAH GREEN: After a long hard week of practice and games, some of us had an opportunity to attend Light Up The Holidays at Cranes Roost Park. Although it was chilly outside, the festive holiday atmosphere gave us that warm holiday season feeling.One thing that interested Erika Jones and I was the kettle popcorn and the smell of hot dogs cooking on the grill. There was so many things to enjoy with the kids. There were lots of great performances by dance groups and up and coming artist in the amphitheater. Kayli Keough got a chance to see the penguins and she was excited because they reminded her of the penguins from Madagascar. Bryeasha Blair especially loved the fireworks show. We all felt like little kids again watching the fireworks in awe because it was so beautiful how the sky lit up. The best thing from that night was the fans that came and supported us. That  was a huge deal to us and it always puts a smile on our face. 

Check out the photo album: http://on.fb.me/sHqW9D

TEACHING AND LEARNING AT THE YMCA

LEONELLA MONTALVO: On Saturday, December 3, 2011 your UCF Knights Women's Basketball team had the oppurtunity to be involved at a local YMCA basketball league. The kids in the league were as young as three years old. While participating I had the oppurtunity to speak with the kids and realize how much they enjoyed coming every Saturday. These young children were so eager to learn from me and my other teammates; while asking us so many questions they didn't realize they were teaching me and my teammates a lesson as well. I realized why I started playing basketball at the age of 6, because I loved it and because basketball was a way for me to escape and have fun. Somewhere a long the years, the many sprints and preparation I lost sight of how much I really loved this sport. Thankfully these children cleared my mind and allowed me to see  again, reminding me why I wake up every morning to practice; simply because I love it.