In many ways, Kendall Allen is your average 7^th grader. He loves to play sports, spend time with his friends and hang out at the park. He enjoys watching “Shameless,” eating fried chicken and listening to Drake, but he’s far from average.

You are your own self. Do not let anyone get in your head, just keep going. Follow your own path and be a leader.

Residing in Vacaville, Calif., Allen is often very busy playing sports throughout the year. When it comes to role models, Allen says he has always looked up to his father, David Allen, which is where he gets his love of sports.

“In high school my dad was really good at basketball, football and baseball. I really look up to him.,” little Allen said. “He was just like me. My brother is like that too. It’s in our genes and DNA.”

His mother, Monica Allen, says it can be difficult to keep up with him and his energy. “He’s an all-around athlete, so I have to put a limit on him, because he will try to do 2 to 3 sports at the same time… it’s just a matter of what season it is,” she said. The two-time Junior Olympian is very dedicated to his sports teams and practices daily to make sure he is at the top of his game.

When Allen is not practicing, he is working on his business, KA Socks. In 2015, his mother suggested that he make his own sock business because of his love for socks.

Allen says that his mother is teaching him the ropes on how to become his own business. “She is a very smart business woman,” he said as he reflects on his mother. Allen designs socks around the themes he is most naturally interested in and sells them on Esty.com. His mother says he channels all of his creative energy into creating his custom athletic socks in hopes of securing a Nike, Hoop Culture or Under Armor sponsorship.

Although Allen enjoys designing and selling his socks, he has a bigger goal in mind while working. With his business, he hopes to raise money in order to sponsor a Special Olympics team. “I’ve always wanted to help the disabled, because they’re not like us, but they are. I don’t get it when people make fun of them because they’re different from us.” Allen has been receiving a lot of support on this venture, and his socks have even been worn by Olympic Gold Medalist, Kenny Harrison on television!

“I was so glad that he rocked my socks. He’s like another dad to me. I love him a lot. I was so glad.”

His mother Monica says this project creates the opportunity for the two them to spend quality time together while she teaches him how to become an entrepreneur. “I don’t think we teach our kids enough about how to become entrepreneur,” she said. “We teach out kids ‘Struggle-Nomics’ instead of ‘Power-Nomics.’ You have power in being an entrepreneur, but what I want him to understand that even if he doesn’t want to continue to make socks when he’s older, he knows he can be an entrepreneur. It’s my time to teach him outside of the box, because school had us all thinking inside the box.”

When he is not practicing, or working on his business, Allen and his family are very active in their community. Helping the less fortunate and giving back is something that he is very passionate about.

Allen gives back his community through the creation of his Blessing Bags that include socks, hats and words of encouragement to those who are in need during the winter months. This project is backed by the support of his community and Allen is able to touch many people’s lives through the donations he receives. “I know socks isn’t going to help everything, but it’s something to comfort them,” Allen gathers. Because of his impact on the local community, Allen has recently been invited to send over Blessing Bags with his church to Haiti to help make a difference internationally.

With so many areas of interest at such a young age, Allen admits that it can be difficult to keep everything balanced. When he finds himself stressing out he remembers the words of encouragement his mother gives him: “You are your own self. Do not let anyone get in your head, just keep going. Follow your own path and be a leader.”

When it comes to the future, Allen has already made a vision board to manifest his big dreams. “I want to have a mansion with my mom living in it. It’s going to have a Benihana and Chipotle in it.”

He also wants to create a shelter for the homeless when he gets older. His mother recalls how shocked she was when he presented the idea to her: “He came to me and said ‘Mom, I just want a place where people can come and hang out, get some socks, take a shower, get something to eat and go.’ And I was like Okay! If that’s something that he wants to do, I’m not going to shoot down that dream because this kid maybe on to something.”

In the future, Allen sees himself in a career centered around sports: “I love basketball and football. Those are my two wives right there, so it would be football or basketball.”

With dreams, as big as his heart, and unconditional support from his family, Allen is determined to make his mark on the world and set the foundation for generations to come.