Athletes put in a lot of hard work and time to enable themselves to be at their best when game day rolls around. While they enjoy the sport they play, there can be days when they do not feel motivated or they may just hit a rut. But My’labu Barnett says that even on those days she may not be feeling it, she works hard to get herself motivated.

“The best way that I motivate myself is waking up in the morning with a smile on my face and thanking the Lord and telling myself I got this I can do it.”

Barnett is a senior at Webster High School and she is a co-captain of the cheer team. Away from sports, she is also a member of the student council and Team Harmony.

During her lifetime, My’labu has had people that have impacted her life and help shape her into the person that she has become. 

“One of the people I look up to the most is my aunt NaChakka Stokley,” she said. “She graduated from Webster, which I will be graduating from also she was a cheerleader here at Webster. It is really cool to be able to follow in her footsteps. One of my teachers, Ms.Skrzypczak has helped me a lot. She also made sure I believed in myself.”

Barnett works hard as an athlete and as a person away from cheer. She has seen that hard work pay off too.

“The best way to be successful is to work hard and achieving my goals,” My’labu said. “The biggest moment for me so far has been becoming the vice president of the student council.”

Though she enjoys supporting and being supported by all of her teammates, Barnett has one teammate that she appreciates the most.
 “Klaudia Ryan is the teammate that I enjoy working with the most,” she said. “Mainly because she is the second best cheerleader on the team and also she makes it competitive, which helps me learn better. She is my bestie. I love that girl to death like words can’t even express why she is my favorite person.”