As I was approaching my senior year of high school, deciding what i wanted to do with my life was becoming increasingly complicated. I talked with my parents and counselors from my school but neither seemed to think I was college material. i knew the ability was in me and I was to prove them wrong. One night I over heard my parents talking about the family finances. After hearing that conversation I knew the issue of me going to college was not whether I was college material it was a money issue.
The economy was not very strong and both of my parents worked hard just to make ends meet. I knew I could not put the financial burden on my parents to put me through college. How was I hoping to come up with enough money for four years of college? I took college preparatory courses during my first three years of high school. My grades were not bad, but far from being good enough to receive an academic scholarship. I knew what I had to do. I had to work hard at one of the sports I played and try to receive an athletic scholarship.
Mr. Marshall our athletic director and baseball coach helped another student receive a scholarship to St. Mary’s University the year before. That student had less ability then me and his grades were nothing to speak about. I could not wait for the season to begin.
I wanted to show all the coaches from the local colleges what I had to offer them. Every morning I would get up early and run a mile or two. Workout with weights during my lunch and throw balls into an old tire I had set up in the backyard until late into the night. The baseball season was finally here.
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When I first enrolled here at the University of Memphis in the fall of 1998, I never thought I would ever be in the position to graduate. Finishing college was a huge goal growing up but it was also my biggest fear. But after three and a half years of dedication I plan to get my degree in the fall of 2002. Getting this far in college was not easy, it took encouragement from family, dedication, and ...
I was completely prepared and I had a purpose. A reason to play beyond the ability a normal seventeen year old could. No one but myself knew what my intentions were. Every pitch that was released out of my hand was the result of hard work during the off-season. My arm had given me a 7-1 season, a conference championship and a selection to the All Northern California high school team. I was the team’s Most Valuable Player.
Everything that I set out to do athletically was accomplished. But there was one thing holding me back form my goal. I never mentioned to Mr. Marshall I wanted to attend a college or university… It was too late for him to do anything. We were to graduate in less than two months.
Only three colleges had contacted me. One was the local junior college and the other two did not offer any scholarships. I am now thirty-five years old and never made it to one of the big colleges I dreamed about but my goal of earning a college degree is still attainable. Larry Bird once stated,’ A winner is someone who recognizes his God given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.’.
