“[Paddling] allows me to cope with life. Life is stressful. Being Black in America is really stressful. Having a place where I can just know that I can relax is like nothing other.”

For Tito Onyekweli that place is on the river. He learned to SUP on the Potomac River and as he applied to med schools, proximity to whitewater was a must. When he was accepted to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Tito left the banks of the Potomac behind and paddled into the waves of new rivers like Stonycreek.

This is Tito Onyekweli and this is his Home Run.

Editor’s Note: Watch the full My Home Run series on YouTube.