Growing up, I always wanted to be in the NFL, become famous, or play at the Division-I level to make my family proud. I’m currently at a Division II school in Springfield, Massachusetts called American International College. I’ve always had that mindset of “D-I or nothing.” Where I knew it would be hard, knowing they rarely recruit those type of players where I’m from. I came here and dropped that mindset; I knew it would be better for my future to embrace the idea that you can do anything from right where you are. If you are just willing to put the work in, then it’s possible. As I am months away from finishing my freshman year, I believe that I’ve sprung drastically in a quick span. I’m just feeling as though I had to change my mindset if I want to be successful.
The individual growth that I’ve experienced during the transition from high school to college was great. I’ve gotten to college earlier than I was supposed to; I wanted to just get out of the state, so I wouldn’t have to deal with things that were going on back home. As soon as my family left, I instantly realized I was on my own. It hits different when you’ve never really experienced anything like this. I then started to practice discipline, to help me grow by myself. For example, I don’t go to sleep without doing pushups, praying, and other little things. It helped me in a big way as the months went by. There were times I didn’t want to do certain things, but I made sure to stay up to par with my discipline. I used to do a lot of things like procrastinate. I would tell myself, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Even though I’m still working on it, I have cut down on a lot of slack because of my discipline. I’m proud that I went into this process by sometimes having isolation days, by limiting my social media time. These daily practices have helped me get my mind right.
Going into the academic year, I thought it would be way harder than high school, but it’s not as bad as I thought. I love the majority of the way things are going with my classes. My favorite part about college is my major. I would think I might have wanted to change mine because so many people do it and it’s not what they were looking for. But this was exactly what I was looking for. My professor made it even better. It’s not all peaches and cream though. Obviously, nothing is perfect.
I’m very appreciative for all the things that I’ve experienced in my freshman year, and I’m looking forward to what’s to come. My first year helped shape me as a person and taught me to grow up quickly, knowing everything won’t always go my way. This puts me in a great position for my future because I still believe in my NFL dreams. But it’s not going to be an easy road, and I’m here for everything. I live by this quote: “No matter the circumstances or situation, have faith.”
