If I had to choose a name for this next chapter of my life, I would name it "A Leap of Faith." I feel that this phrase perfectly exhibits my mindset as I prepare to play college football. Recently, my family and I have decided that I will attend Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts; a college that is 1,090 miles from my home in Kennesaw, Georgia. Throughout my college search, I constantly debated if it would be worth the risk to leave everything that I know to chase an academic dream in a place I was unfamiliar with. I debated choosing safer options that were closer to home and more comfortable to me. As this decision went on, I realized that I have never truly progressed as a person when I have been comfortable. Every time God has placed me in a situation that I am unfamiliar with, I have learned valuable lessons and matured as a person. These uncomfortable situations have shaped me into who I am and created an undeniable passion to succeed in whatever I do . They have also prepared me for the adversity that is to come in the future. The term "Leap of Faith" is one that is commonly thrown around, but rarely understood for its true meaning. The power of this phrase lies in the last word, "faith." Faith is a complete trust or belief in something combined with the conviction of things not seen. As of now, I cannot fully comprehend the struggles and triumphs I will face in college, but my faith allows me to trust God and his plan for me. Attending such a prestigious university could allow me to create valuable opportunities for myself past football. High school has led me to understand that there is a plan specific for me, and that I must fully trust if I want to achieve the goals that my ambition has led me to. It should be known that I have done well so far in my life, but I am nowhere near my full potential. I am someone with an unmatched level of passion for what I do, but I also realize that my best work is yet to come. I have created positive habits of hard work and dedication that will help me achieve my goals in the future. Although I am thankful for my accomplishments so far in high school, I believe that there is a plethora of opportunities for me that are still out in the world. That is what truly excites me.

If anything has taught me how to take care of my mental health, it would be sports. At times I jokingly consider football my greatest friend and my biggest enemy. I believe that this sport has been an avenue for me to openly find myself as a person and express the passion I hold deep inside. Rarely do we realize the true significance of something early on. As a kid, football was just a fun game that surrounded my life and made me happy. The concept of playing football my whole life just seemed natural to me. I identified myself as an athlete and dedicated myself to my craft. This all changed when football became so much more than a game. Suddenly, my performance on Friday nights determined my future. My teammates and coaches depended on me every second. My failure on the field even caused me to reach some of my lowest points. Around my junior year, I knew I must change my perception of football. It was my everything, and when your everything fails you, the consequences can be detrimental. Even as I write this, I’m facing a knee injury that threatens one of the biggest games of the season. This unbearable pressure I face as an athlete has led me to grow my relationship with God. With the help of my therapist, realized that God provided comfort I need to live my life as more than a football player. I soon realized that football was an idol that I unintentionally placed at the pedestal of my life. I was anchored in a sport that was untrustworthy because my happiness depended on my success on the field. Now I am reaching a point where Jesus is my anchor, and he provides a hope that does not disappoint. As a football player I was constantly envious of other athletes, as I put myself down and doubted my abilities. As a man of God, I realize that He has a calling for me and that I must trust in Him. As a football player, I spent restless nights filled with anxiety about the future. As a man of God, I have faith that everything will work out in the way He intends it to. These are lessons that I am still learning now, but they have taught me the true importance of football. This sport has created a great work ethic and competitiveness inside me that will push me to achieve my goals. It has been a way to express myself as a person, creating some of the greatest memories imaginable. On the other hand, it has humbled me to a place where I became dependent on something stronger. It has highlighted the places within where I needed to grow to face the challenges ahead. So now, as a senior preparing to play college football, I realize that I am more than a football player. I am a son. I am a brother. I am a 4.1 student. And most importantly, I am a man of God.

I seek to use my athletic ability on the football field and my academics to create a positive impact on others. I feel that my faithful spirit is one that could be contagious to everyone around me. I hope to be an influential student athlete that can bring a new perspective to whatever school I attend. I hope to do this by getting involved in clubs and using sports as an avenue to spread my faith. My consistency and versatility so far in high school has helped me make great habits that will allow me to create true change in this world. Whether it is on the field, in the classroom, or anywhere else, I will have an impact on others. For example, I seek to use football as an avenue not only to create opportunities for myself, but to inspire young athletes across the country. Being a well-rounded, high academic football player allows me to change the narrative about this sport. I seek to use my passion for this sport to inspire young athletes to learn the lessons that this sport teaches you. I want them to know that they should give the sport their all, but never let the sport define you. Football has the ability to awaken the passion we all hold deep inside. Its effect on people changes them for the rest of their lives, as it did for me. This sport has the ability to create opportunities much bigger than the sport itself. Every accolade I have received is nothing compared to the lessons I have learned from football. To continue, I hope to create a platform for myself in which I can address major social issues that continue to haunt our society. Creating change, requires us to have the uncomfortable conversations about the issues in our country. For example, one social issue that unfortunately continues to go overlooked is the use of racial stereotypes in our society. As far as we have come as a country to fight racism and gain equal opportunities for minorities, there is still a large bias towards certain opinions that are only based on incomplete narratives. This is something that consistently frustrated me as a black student in a predominantly white area. I was constantly criticized for the way I spoke and acted because it did not align with how black people "should" act. Other students often formed misconceptions about me before ever sharing a conversation with me. Things such as speaking intelligently were seen as abnormal because it did not align with the stereotypical narratives created by the media and generations of people unwilling to change. We have come a long way, but I feel that there are still too many rays of racism that continue to poison our society. I would seek to fix this by challenging the common opinion about certain groups of people. I would hope to show people in and out of the country that things are much different than how they appear. I seek to break down the racial barriers that continue to divide our country. I plan to continue making change in my community by using my social skills, athletics, and academics to inspire and positively impact other people.

My greatest friend and my biggest enemy. I believe that this sport has been an avenue for me to openly find myself as a person and express the passion I hold deep inside. Rarely do we realize the true significance of something early on. As a kid, football was just a fun game that surrounded my life and made me happy. The concept of playing football my whole life just seemed natural to me. I identified myself as an athlete and dedicated myself to my craft. This all changed when football became so much more than a game. Suddenly, my performance on Friday nights determined my future. My teammates and coaches depended on me every second. My failure on the field even caused me to reach some of my lowest points. Around my junior year, I knew I must change my perception of football. It was my everything, and when your everything fails you, the consequences can be detrimental. Even as I write this, I’m facing a knee injury that threatens one of the biggest games of the season. This unbearable pressure I face as an athlete has led me to grow my relationship with God. He has provided the comfort I need to live my life as more than a football player. I soon realized that football was an idol that I unintentionally placed at the pedestal of my life. I was anchored in a sport that was untrustworthy because my happiness depended on my success on the field. Now I am reaching a point where Jesus is my anchor, and he provides a hope that does not disappoint. As a football player I was constantly envious of other athletes, as I put myself down and doubted my abilities. As a man of God, I realize that He has a calling for me and that I must trust in Him. As a football player, I spent restless nights filled with anxiety about the future. As a man of God, I have faith that everything will work out in the way He intends it to. These are lessons that I am still learning now, but they have taught me the true importance of football. This sport has created a great work ethic and competitiveness inside me that will push me to achieve my goals. It has been a way to express myself as a person, creating some of the greatest memories imaginable. On the other hand, it has humbled me to a place where I became dependent on something stronger. It has highlighted the places within where I needed to grow to face the challenges ahead. So now, as a senior preparing to play college football, I realize that I am more than a football player. I am a son. I am a brother. I am a 4.1 student. And most importantly, I am a man of God. I seek to use my passion for this sport to inspire young athletes to learn the lessons that this sport teaches you. I want them to know that they should give the sport their all, but never let the sport define you. Football has the ability to awaken the passion we all hold deep inside. Its effect on people changes them for the rest of their lives, as it did for me. This sport has the ability to create opportunities much bigger than the sport itself. Every accolade I have received is nothing compared to the lessons I have learned from football.