College wasn’t easy for me at all, and even though I graduated from Westlake High School in 1994 with honors, I wasn’t ready for it.
My biggest fear in entering college was not having enough discipline to manage my time as a student-athlete. I was always the kid that ignored his parents and teachers when advised to “manage your time well.” Ironically, what I most looked forward to was the freedom and independence to do what I wanted and what made me happy.
What made me happy was to play baseball, and so that’s what I concentrated on to the detriment of my studies. I wasn’t a dumb kid. I was smart. Even so, I failed to apply the discipline necessary, and do what I needed to do, to maintain my status as a student-athlete. More specifically, I failed to manage my time well between what I wanted to do – play baseball, and what I needed to do – study and keep my grades up. As a result, I failed out of Georgia State University and Dekalb Junior College.
Lucky for me I had a second chance with the Chicago Cubs and was drafted again in 1996. It wasn’t until my career was cut short with the Cubs and I returned home to Atlanta, that I realized that in order to be able to do what I wanted to do, I’d have to balance discipline and also do what was necessary.
My biggest fear in attending college is being home sick and with regards to that, the distance between home and school is something I will be looking forward to and how it will effect me or will it effect me at all?
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| L.E.A.D. Ambassador Austin Evans and CJ Stewart |
My fears regarding college is the negative peer pressure from the upperclassmen. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and getting a great education.
~ L.E.A.D. Ambassador Desmond Jones, Benjamin E. Mays High School c/o 2015, Tuskegee University Fall 2015
My fear regarding college is being so overworked and stressed out that I develop bad eating habits and losing sleep. I’m looking forward to being independent.
I fear while attending college that I will not make a name for myself. I most look forward to making everyone on campus love me.
