My Brother, my mentor by Braxton

My Brother, my mentor by Braxton - March 2021 Scholarship Essay

My brother is 9 years older than me and is my academic role model. This age difference has provided me a front row seat to his Associates, Bachelors and most recently Master’s degrees and observe his determination to be the best in all he does. As a student athlete he has shown me the importance of being a student first and excel in the classroom so that I can perform to the best of my ability on the field. The things I admire most are his tenacity and passion for both education and sports.

As a collegiate athlete, my brother had to learn to balance the rigors of his classroom work and the time and energy it took to participate in his sport. Some times that meant studying on the bus while travelling to away games or writing a paper during his work study, he used his time wisely to achieve his goals one of which was to remain on scholarship to ease the financial burden of college for my family. This helped to instill in me the importance of being disciplined and staying on top of my studies even when I would rather play video games and hang out with my friends.

When my brother was a junior in high school, he attended the International Baseball Academy and High School in Puerto Rico. He was in mostly senior level classes because of the work he did at his school here in the states, however for Spanish class he ended up being placed in a 3rd grade class. He was a little embarrassed and a lot humbled but he didn’t let that deter him from being successful even if he had to ask someone much younger than him for help. I think of this experience and his drive to succeed in all he does when I have a subject that I may struggle with and know that even if I’m not the smartest person in the room, that by using my resources I can achieve my goals.

My brother’s academic success is evident in his achievements to date. He has begun his dream of becoming a college baseball coach. In his current role, he is an Assistant Baseball Coach at a Junior College. By completing his master’s degree, he can now pursue his ultimate goal of becoming a Head Baseball Coach at the collegiate level. He knows the importance of continuing education to achieve his dreams. He has said to me on numerous occasions throughout his college career, “Higher education creates the framework for future growth as a lifelong learner. Whether you choose to be an engineer or a coach, you will always be seeking to find ways to become more efficient in procedures and more innovative in design. Higher education allows you to gain introductory experience in multiple areas through various courses that will lead you to better exploration and adaptation as you excel in your future career”.

My sport may be different, my career choice not the same, but my brother has been one of the most influential people in my life. Whether showing me by his actions academically, helping me with a math problem, driving me to do one more rep in the weight room or cheering me on during a game. I know that the lessons I have learned from him will help keep me focused on my own goals and help me achieve my dreams of playing collegiate football and earning my engineering degree from a prestigious university.