Alumni Profiles
Travon “Tra” Muhammad ’93
“Coming from the inner city to Crossroads taught me that there was a life outside of my neighborhood. There were things and people that I could relate to, and we could have a friendship and a kinship that was deeper than just where we came from.”
In 2010, a group of Crossroads eighth graders held a shoe drive for the Police Athletics League, never suspecting it would inspire the founding of a nonprofit organization. Two years later, Crossroads basketball coach Travon Muhammad ’93 noticed a talented young player at a local game playing in worn-out Vans sneakers. After the game, Tra grabbed an extra pair of his own basketball shoes from the trunk of his car and gave them to the player. The young man’s face lit up. Remembering the eighth graders’ project, Tra was moved to begin the process of founding Sole Brothers, an organization that collects and redistributes shoes to young athletes in need and also provides training services and college scholarships.
Tra runs Sole Brothers in addition to working as the Crossroads boys junior varsity basketball coach and assistant coach for the boys varsity team. As a Crossroads student, he was recruited to play basketball by UC Davis, where his team won a Division II National Championship. After college, Tra put his psychology degree to work as a youth development counselor.
Tra credits his experience as a Crossroads student with helping him connect with all kinds of people, something that is essential at Sole Brothers and in coaching. “Coming from the inner city to Crossroads taught me that there was a life outside of my neighborhood,” he said. “There were things and people that I could relate to, and we could have a friendship and a kinship that was deeper than just where we came from. When I got to college, I was able to relate to anyone and everyone—all cultures, all walks of life, all socioeconomic statuses—which is partially why I do the work that I do.”
Crossroads is a family affair for Tra: his wife, Vicky Moya Muhammad, graduated in 1995. Their son, TJ, graduated in 2021, and their daughter, Ayana-Monet, is a rising fourth grader.
Circling back to Crossroads has cemented Tra’s sense of the School as a family. “I have friendships going back to my days as a student here,” he said. “Now our children play together. Those deep relationships are a really incredible part of this community.”
