by Oshea White
High school Senior
Through the years of being a student athlete, I have learned a lot about myself. I've faced many challenges and overcame them with amazing triumph. The importance of education is very vital in my eyes in order to support my family and make them proud. The most valuable quality is to be more successful than the rest of the men in my family. I think it's the key to a brighter future instead of doing the illegal things that I see everyday in my neighborhood. Education allows you to learn more about the world we live in, stretches your thoughts and ideas and overall broadens your horizon. It's the basis of success and living up to your potential in our society.
The challenges of holding a book in one hand and a football in the other are difficult but somehow I overcame them with determination and believing in my future. Along the way, I have had to do homework after football games and practices while trying to maintain an A in each class. I've had to overcome the challenges of staying focused on what is more important, education or football and decided education opens the door for me to play football. I felt that without passing grades I could never play any sport.
With this in mind, my passion to succeed in the classroom and on the field has truly led me to who I am today. I have become a hardworking dedicated leader for my team, family, and peers. I overcame my struggles by staying focused on the big objective and primary goal which is to go to a prestigious four year university and carry out my vision of obtaining a degree in electrical engineering while hopefully playing football at the collegiate level.
Studying whenever there is free time and paying attention in class is also a big key to overcoming what sometimes feels like the impossible when juggling sports and education. With a strong independent mother and father as role models, other caring friends and family, I am inspired and pushed to achieve greatness at everything I do. My goals with getting an education are to one day be the CEO at the most famous engineering company, being dependable for my family when there's great need, and a perfect model of how an African American young man with a little heart and determination can succeed through conflicts of life.
