Last week, some of our top students gathered for a retreat in Mexico.

Their mission?

To launch a workshop that gives college applicants a 75% chance of being admitted into an Ivy League school.

We’re going to share a lot more from this superstar group, but for now, be sure to follow them on Insta, and join the workshop waitlist!

In today’s issue:

1. Tactical Tuesday: If your kid plays sports, you might be leaving lessons on the table.

2. Something to inspire you: This talented high-schooler started his fashion career when he was only 10 years old.

3. Ivy’s takeaway: Don’t miss the opportunity to re-enforce valuable life skills.

Four ways to help your kid get the most out of sports ⚽

Nearly half of all kids in the U.S. play sports.

And this is a good thing, seeing as it’s scientifically proven that playing sports can help your kids with skills like teamwork, discipline, and adaptability. 👍

But sometimes sports can bring out undesirable traits in our kids: like being overly competitive, a sore loser, or refusing to be a team player. 👎

Yikes.

Last week, I introduced you to Jawaan Delaney. Over his life, he’s been:

• A Division I student-athlete

• A high school soccer coach

• A learning coach for pre-professional athletes at the LA Galaxy

…and now, he’s a guide at Alpha, helping our students improve every single day.

Jawaan’s got actionable tips for parents who want to help their kids get the most out of sports. 👇

1. How to use your team

One of the best skills that sports can teach kids is how to work in teams.

“Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work,” said the legendary Vince Lombardi.

Teamwork is a skill that goes far beyond athletics, but sports is one of the best places for kids to learn it.

According to Jawaan, parents can help their kids become a better team player by naming their strengths and weaknesses:

Which brings us to our next skill…

2. How to know yourself

“Not everyone wants to know what they’re good at and what they’re bad at,” admits Jawaan.

That said, self-assessment is another valuable life skill. 

To help your kids develop it, have them assess their own performance before chiming in with your opinion.

✍️ Jawaan also suggests having kids write down their strengths and weaknesses with a pencil and paper — doing it the old-fashioned way leads to better memory retention and higher brain activity (seriously!).

3. How to lose like a winner

Losing stings.

But with the right mindset, your kids can also learn a lot from it.

Tempting as it may be, Jawaan doesn’t recommend blanket statements like, “You’ll get ‘em next time!”. Kids can see right through it, and it doesn’t help them improve.

💭 Instead, Jawaan suggests that you help them reflect:

• What went well?

• What didn’t go well?

• What stopped you from being able to perform how you wanted to?

The goal is to help them walk away with an action plan they can put into motion before the next game. 

That way, they know exactly how to get a better outcome next time.

4. How to build resilience 

“It’s one thing to say you’re going to do better, and it’s another thing to actually go practice so you can do better,” says Jawaan. 

So how do we keep kids motivated for the long haul?

Help them connect today’s actions to their future goals — when they see that every repetitive drill gets them one step closer to their dreams, they’ll be motivated to show up.

To do this, Jawaan suggests helping them visualize the future:

The key is to point out that giving a sport your all not only gives you a better outcome, it gives you more options.

As George Halas (football player, coach, and team owner) said, "Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it."  🏈

Move over Armani — this kid’s got style

High schooler Wade Driscoll is creating his own high-fashion clothing line.

Fun hobby, right? 👗

For Wade, it’s far more than just a hobby — it’s already a career — one that started when he was only 10 years old. 

Here’s how he pulled it off. 👇

First, he discovered his passion for fashion

At 10 years old, Wade started experimenting with fashion as a form of personal expression.

Wade’s mom shared his interest, watching every season of Project Runway with him and even taking him to Paris for a fashion event.

Wade was clearly destined to become a designer — but it wasn’t until an Alpha workshop that he connected the dots.

“It just clicked for me,” says Wade. Fashion was his passion. 

To help students find their passion, Alpha follows the Japanese principle ikigai, which means “that which gives your life purpose”.

Your ikigai is the intersection between: 

• What you’re good at

• What you love to do

• What the world needs

• What you can get paid for

Once students identify their passion, Alpha helps them go pursue it.

Then, he learned how to bring it to life

Once Wade discovered that he wanted a career in fashion, it was time to create a garment.

🪡 But as it just so happens… that’s pretty freaking hard.

Wade threw himself into learning the basics. One garment after another, his skills began to improve.

But it wasn’t enough just to make clothes. Wade wanted to make art — and a meaningful impact on sustainability. 

With the fashion industry accounting for 10% of global carbon emissions, Wade has committed to:

• Creating his pieces with recycled materials

• Visually representing sustainability in his designs 👇

Finally, he learned how to turn passion into profit

The designs are just one half of the puzzle. Wade also needed to create a business — and that’s where his upcoming event comes in.

And if he’s nervous about planning an event of this caliber, he’s not showing it.

He has already:

• Secured a venue

• Secured an investor

• Crafted a profitable business plan 💸

“I know exactly what I want,” says Wade. “But I have a hard time showing it to other people so they can help me bring it to life.”

It’s not easy, but Wade is picking up a crucial life skill: communication. 

Mentorship matters 

Designing a fashion line and planning a big event with zero experience is… tough.

So how does Wade do it?

He makes the most of all the support he gets, especially through his guides at Alpha.

“There’s always somebody that I can talk to… they can give me resources and help me navigate struggles,” says Wade. 

Wade was also placed in an advanced program for outstanding Alpha students, which enabled him to buy a new sewing machine. 

But the best gift that Alpha has given him?

The knowledge of what his passion is — and the support he needed to make it happen.

“Right now, if I was at a public school, I would just be wasting all my time studying for exams and pouring my heart into that instead of doing what I know I want to do in life,” says Wade.

Wade is reinventing the fashion industry for a new generation. 

Sure, there might not be an AP credit waiting for him at the end of all this, but there’s something much better — real-world skills and a lifelong passion. ⭐

Pay attention to the importance of sports

If you’re throwing hours of time (and mountains of money 💸) into sports for your kid, you better be darn sure they’re getting more out of it than just a good time.

This is why Jawaan’s message is so important.

Whether your kid is the star player, or warming the bench, they have the opportunity to learn vital life skills — but this opportunity is at risk of going unnoticed.

Pay attention.

Pick up the cues.

And guide — don’t preach.

Participating in sports is one of the most helpful activities a kid can do to learn skills that they may be missing out on in school. 

Don’t squash the opportunity to reinforce these valuable life lessons. 👊

Until next time,

Ivy

CEO Prequel, BETA Camp, Apollo

Follow my journey on LinkedIn