Reflections on two evenings
I spent last Thursday night listening to a national expert on college recruiting give advice to parents and their student-athletes.
I spent Friday evening curled up in front of the fireplace, judging a high school essay contest.
On Thursday, the main theme was the value of a college education - and how to use your athletic ability to pay for it.
On Friday, the theme of the contest was “I can make a difference.” Poems and essays talked about how one person can help make the world a better place.
You can see where this is going. There were similar messages in my two very different evenings.
I was impressed that Jack Rankin, of Recruiting Realities, had his priorities straight. Finding the right match academically between a student and a college is the main goal. Athletics is just a means to an end.
“This isn’t a 4-year decision, it’s a 40-year decision,” he said, stressing the lifetime importance of a good college education.
He gets the big picture. Not many college graduates earn a living in the NFL.
The students’ essays and poems were well-written and heartfelt. Many touched on the usual topics, from protecting the environment to ending bullying in school.
I was impressed to note that several also looked at the big picture, recognizing the importance of a good college education. In small ways, you can make a difference by baby-sitting your neighbor’s children, or visiting at the nursing home. But to make a big difference - to affect the world in significant ways - it would sure help to get a good college education first.
Another shared theme of the two nights was hard work and commitment. You don’t get a college athletic scholarship by being lazy, and you don’t make much of a difference in the world playing video games or hanging out.
It was two very diferent evenings for me. But both offered insight into the life of high school students - and how they can make their mark on the world.