Sabaa Ismail

“I feel close to this group and know that the moment we experience pain together, we become a team. We feel the same agony because we care about the same thing.”
― Arshay Cooper, A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team

“When we notice the prices on the menu we ask Ken if we can have the money instead and just go to Burger King. He laughs and tells us no because life is about experiencing new things. When the waiter takes our orders, Preston asks for the filet mignon but pronounces it totally wrong. Alvin asks for the New York strip steak, and then asks to substitute the sides for another New York strip steak. The waiter starts laughing, but we don’t because we know he is serious. Malcolm and I both play it safe with pasta. It was always a dream of mine to eat at a fancy restaurant. Now that the dream is fulfilled, there is room for more dreams.”
― Arshay Cooper, A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team

“I really believe that people don’t understand how much I learned from watching Family Matters, The Fresh Prince of Bel-air and A Different World. Dwayne Wayne’s character taught me that not matter how hard school gets or not matter what people say about your physical appearance, push through it and be yourself, and always give back to the place that gave to you. Steve Urkel’s character taught me how to love a girl and the importance of patience. The Fresh Price of Bel-air demonstrated how to be a good son, and even if you are without a father, there is still a bright future that lies ahead. I practice everything I learn from these shows in my daily life and I get positive results.”
― Arshay Cooper, A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team

“It’s like a bank account: You have nothing to withdraw if you don’t make a deposit. A lot of times teachers and parents just want to withdraw from us. They want to know our problems, secrets, and the things that are going on in our lives. They wonder why we never tell them anything, and the reason is because they’ve never made any deposits. Ken is excellent at making trust and faith deposits in our lives.”
― Arshay Cooper, A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team