BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- CSUB student-athletes often find that, in giving back to the community, they are rewarded in ways they never expected. Such was the case at a recent trip to Bessie Owens Intermediate School for its Martin Luther King Day celebration.

Women's basketball players Phynique Allen and Kelley Tarver and men's soccer player Wayne Lampart spoke to a pair of assemblies about the importance of education and setting goals.  But what started out as a chance to reach out to some young students turned into a friendly competition with a life of its own.

"It's definitely an honor to have opportunities like this, especially when you see how much the kids look up to you and take in what you're saying," said Allen. "I like to talk about the importance of setting goals and of putting education first."

Like her teammate, Tarver knows the importance of getting that message out to young people. "I definitely appreciate the opportunity to give back," she said. "I think it's important that they hear about setting priorities and putting school first from somebody who is going through it."

For Lampart, the opportunity to speak to the assemblies brought back memories of similar events from his childhood.

"As a kid, I enjoyed going to events like this at school," he remembered. "I used to imagine myself in the speaker's position and thought about what I would say. Getting the opportunity to do it myself, I found out I really enjoyed it."

Of course, the highly successful Division I athletes got drawn into a competition they didn't expect when Lampart stole the show in the first assembly.

"(Kelley) and I went first at the first assembly and Wayne just sat there and took our speeches in," said Allen. "We tried to have fun, but he was all serious."

"Listening to us, he got to think about what he wanted to say-and his speech was on a whole other level," added Tarver. "So Phynique and I stole all of his quotes at the second assembly."

"Yeah, I touched on a few things they said," Lampart admitted a little sheepishly, "but I went in a different direction.

"They're basketball players and I'm a soccer player and when we asked the kids what their favorite sport was, more people said basketball, so it was pretty even in the end."

And when the dust had settled at the end of the day, everybody came out a winner.

"This is definitely something I enjoy doing," said Allen. "We're role models, and Kelley, Wayne and I got to show that you have to be students before athletes."