Stubborn.
Well, “strong-willed”. That’s the word my mom has used to describe me for as long as I can remember. She would always tell me, “There is no point in starting something if you aren’t willing to finish it.”
So here I sit, one degree down in mechanical engineering and working on another, all while having wrestled in college. Often, I look back at my journey that started in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and just smile thinking about the path that got me here.
Here’s my story.
Well, “strong-willed”. That’s the word my mom has used to describe me for as long as I can remember. She would always tell me, “There is no point in starting something if you aren’t willing to finish it.”
So here I sit, one degree down in mechanical engineering and working on another, all while having wrestled in college. Often, I look back at my journey that started in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and just smile thinking about the path that got me here.
Here’s my story.
I first stepped on a wrestling mat in eighth grade in Muskogee, knowing nothing about the journey I was about to start. I played almost every sport from football to soccer and finally tried wrestling because, as I said earlier, I’m stubborn, and when someone tells me that I can’t throw them onto the mat, I prove them wrong.
I get to Muskogee High School and I’m wrestling varsity as a freshman, trying to hold my own against guys four years older than me. I had never really taken wrestling all that seriously, but that changed at dual state when my team needed me to come up with a win against a senior and I fell short. I hated that feeling – the feeling of letting down people you care about. Thinking back, that is what drives me to function as I do in life – I want to make the people that took a chance on me proud.
Fast-forward to the summer between my sophomore and junior years at Muskogee and I am starting to embrace the grind. One of my wrestling philosophies has always been to not look at the name or ranking of the guy across from you on the mat. It does me no good to know how good people think my opponent is because I still have to show up and wrestle regardless. That summer, I registered to compete in the regional qualifiers for the Junior and Cadet National Championships, which is known in the wrestling world as “Fargo.” To be blunt, it’s where the best wrestlers in the country all meet up and determine who the best of the best is – but first I had to get there.
I run through the competition and end up getting first at the Oklahoma regionals, earning my place in Fargo. The price tag to get to Fargo, N.D., for a week was not cheap, but my coach found a way through fundraising to get me there. Something I notice in my life is that I’ve been fortunate enough to have people that always take a shot for me and work to help me be successful. With all that done, I finally got to Fargo and I step on the mat for my first match, ready to go.
Except I wasn’t ready to go – I got tech’d – putting me on the brink of elimination.
My coach pulled me aside after that match and told me something that I’ll never forget.
“It’s no stress, but your back is against the wall. Just go out and do you – you’ve got nothing to lose, so let it all out.”
I wound up winning nine matches in a row, upsetting some of the best wrestlers in the country, and next thing I knew I was in the All-American rounds. It was my second year in freestyle wrestling and I had become a Fargo All-American, it was at that point I knew wrestling was my sport.
But despite that fact, I wasn’t really planning on wrestling in college. I was just going to go to school, get my degree and start working. But that all changed when I found myself rolling on the mat during a last-minute visit to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Next thing you know, I’m in Miami, Okla., as a student-athlete.
I get to Muskogee High School and I’m wrestling varsity as a freshman, trying to hold my own against guys four years older than me. I had never really taken wrestling all that seriously, but that changed at dual state when my team needed me to come up with a win against a senior and I fell short. I hated that feeling – the feeling of letting down people you care about. Thinking back, that is what drives me to function as I do in life – I want to make the people that took a chance on me proud.
Fast-forward to the summer between my sophomore and junior years at Muskogee and I am starting to embrace the grind. One of my wrestling philosophies has always been to not look at the name or ranking of the guy across from you on the mat. It does me no good to know how good people think my opponent is because I still have to show up and wrestle regardless. That summer, I registered to compete in the regional qualifiers for the Junior and Cadet National Championships, which is known in the wrestling world as “Fargo.” To be blunt, it’s where the best wrestlers in the country all meet up and determine who the best of the best is – but first I had to get there.
I run through the competition and end up getting first at the Oklahoma regionals, earning my place in Fargo. The price tag to get to Fargo, N.D., for a week was not cheap, but my coach found a way through fundraising to get me there. Something I notice in my life is that I’ve been fortunate enough to have people that always take a shot for me and work to help me be successful. With all that done, I finally got to Fargo and I step on the mat for my first match, ready to go.
Except I wasn’t ready to go – I got tech’d – putting me on the brink of elimination.
My coach pulled me aside after that match and told me something that I’ll never forget.
“It’s no stress, but your back is against the wall. Just go out and do you – you’ve got nothing to lose, so let it all out.”
I wound up winning nine matches in a row, upsetting some of the best wrestlers in the country, and next thing I knew I was in the All-American rounds. It was my second year in freestyle wrestling and I had become a Fargo All-American, it was at that point I knew wrestling was my sport.
But despite that fact, I wasn’t really planning on wrestling in college. I was just going to go to school, get my degree and start working. But that all changed when I found myself rolling on the mat during a last-minute visit to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Next thing you know, I’m in Miami, Okla., as a student-athlete.
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People ask me all the time about what I learned from being at a JUCO and how it’s different from OU. My answer is: resources. The biggest thing about junior college is that it’s a grind all the time. Outside of school in Miami, there isn’t much to do besides go to Wal-Mart, hang out with my teammates, or be rudely awakened by the smell of the mushroom farm blowing by – and trust me, you wanted to avoid the last one as much as possible. I stayed with a roommate in a dorm room that was the size of a small living room. The showers were concrete. Actually, my entire room was concrete now that I think about it. You had nothing to do other than sit there and grind. You woke up, went to class, went to practice, did homework, and then went to bed.
During my freshman season at NEO I had some success, but a national title soon became a dream after a season-ending injury. Everything changed during my sophomore season when I won the JUCO national championship at 157 pounds. That definitely piqued the interest of some D1 schools, including OU.
Something you should know about me is that I’m a numbers guy, so when it came time to pick a school I needed to be at the place where I could afford it. One of the big things influencing me was that I knew I wanted to study mechanical engineering, so if a school didn’t offer that as a major, I would cross them off my list. OU had it all – great coaches, facilities, academics and they could make the money work, so I chose to join the OU family.
During my freshman season at NEO I had some success, but a national title soon became a dream after a season-ending injury. Everything changed during my sophomore season when I won the JUCO national championship at 157 pounds. That definitely piqued the interest of some D1 schools, including OU.
Something you should know about me is that I’m a numbers guy, so when it came time to pick a school I needed to be at the place where I could afford it. One of the big things influencing me was that I knew I wanted to study mechanical engineering, so if a school didn’t offer that as a major, I would cross them off my list. OU had it all – great coaches, facilities, academics and they could make the money work, so I chose to join the OU family.
In my first year at OU, I was struggling a little bit with such a tough major and struggling to find some of the resources that I needed to be really successful. Trying to balance being a student and athlete was a bit rough at times. Some people were suggesting that I should change my major to something a little lighter but I’m sure you all can guess what happened if you read the first word of this story.
Stubborn.
I couldn’t quit. I had too many people take a chance on me to help me get to where I was, I wouldn’t just give up. So, I did what I did best at NEO – grind.
Countless nights, I’d find myself staying on campus in one of the engineering buildings or basements until 12 or 1 a.m., just to be right back on campus at 6 a.m. to continue my education and growth on the mat. I was determined to let nothing get in my way of being successful. The biggest issue that late nights and early mornings caused was mid-day, in-between class naps. I promise that every time I awoke from one of my many quick 20-30-minute naps, I could find my still-planking body sprawled across someone’s Snapchat story. I didn’t care, it was still worth it.
The resources that are available to students at the University of Oklahoma are some of the best in the country. The access to tutors, space to study, nutritionists, and other things are what sets OU apart and allowed me to be successful. But when I think about what makes OU special above all else there is one thing that sticks out.
At OU, the people truly care about you and your well-being.
When I stepped on campus, I could immediately feel the love that people had for me. They want you to succeed. From coaches helping me on the mat, nutritionist helping me stay in shape, and playing the biggest game of “Where’s Waldo” in the O-Club in an effort to find and get the perfect tutors in front of me. The people at OU aren’t just computers to help you do something, they are individuals who talk with you, and invest their time and emotions into you in order to help you be more successful – they go out of their way to find you the help that you need.
Stubborn.
I couldn’t quit. I had too many people take a chance on me to help me get to where I was, I wouldn’t just give up. So, I did what I did best at NEO – grind.
Countless nights, I’d find myself staying on campus in one of the engineering buildings or basements until 12 or 1 a.m., just to be right back on campus at 6 a.m. to continue my education and growth on the mat. I was determined to let nothing get in my way of being successful. The biggest issue that late nights and early mornings caused was mid-day, in-between class naps. I promise that every time I awoke from one of my many quick 20-30-minute naps, I could find my still-planking body sprawled across someone’s Snapchat story. I didn’t care, it was still worth it.
The resources that are available to students at the University of Oklahoma are some of the best in the country. The access to tutors, space to study, nutritionists, and other things are what sets OU apart and allowed me to be successful. But when I think about what makes OU special above all else there is one thing that sticks out.
At OU, the people truly care about you and your well-being.
When I stepped on campus, I could immediately feel the love that people had for me. They want you to succeed. From coaches helping me on the mat, nutritionist helping me stay in shape, and playing the biggest game of “Where’s Waldo” in the O-Club in an effort to find and get the perfect tutors in front of me. The people at OU aren’t just computers to help you do something, they are individuals who talk with you, and invest their time and emotions into you in order to help you be more successful – they go out of their way to find you the help that you need.
I finished my undergraduate career with over 25 wins on the mat in just two years, an appearance at the national tournament, and most importantly, my degree in mechanical engineering. The moment that most sticks out to me as an undergrad at OU is a little bit cliché, but it’s a specific memory from graduation day. To see all my hard work, and the work that others put into me pay off is the best feeling in the world.
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This year, I am set to earn my Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering. I was able to pursue this opportunity as a result of the Sooners For Life Scholarship Program coordinated by Varsity O. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been fortunate to have people that care about me and help me get to where I want to be. My driving force to finish this degree, and how I carry myself daily is to make those people proud. I refuse to disappoint people who have invested their time in me.
OU is such a special place, and it’s been and continues to be such an importance piece of my journey. If I had one piece of advice for kids who wanted to be student-athletes but were worried about the time commitment or balancing being an athlete with studying. I would tell them to do it, and not only do it, but shoot for the stars, because you never know the opportunities that you’ll be presented, especially at a place like the University of Oklahoma. OU is home to Olympians, World Champions, Hall of Famers, CEOs and everything in between – you could be next, so just do it! |
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That’s my OU story in its simplest form.
I’m extremely thankful to the University of Oklahoma for the opportunities in life it has given and continues to give me. I’m so proud to be part of the Sooner family and have that diploma on my wall. Proverbs – 14:23. And always, Boomer!
I’m extremely thankful to the University of Oklahoma for the opportunities in life it has given and continues to give me. I’m so proud to be part of the Sooner family and have that diploma on my wall. Proverbs – 14:23. And always, Boomer!
