Growing up near Flint, Michigan, sports were what got me out of bed every day. Gym was my favorite class in school; I would have loved to have it for all seven periods — learning math through statistics and writing stories about sports for English class.
When I got my first car, I turned the trunk into a locker filled with my golf clubs; a basketball; baseball glove, bat, ball, and cleats; tennis racket and balls; a good leather football and a nerf football to play in the lake or a friend’s pool; bowling ball; and a wiffle ball and bats — just in case. I never knew when friends might call to play something, but I was always ready. I played varsity golf and basketball in high school, and as graduation approached, I knew I wanted to play golf in college.
Neither of my parents attended college, but they were supportive of my dreams. I quietly wished I could go to the University of Michigan, but I certainly didn’t try hard enough to get the grades I needed. I heard about older kids from my school playing sports at four-year colleges, so I visited those campuses and was able to talk to the golf coaches. I learned that these small private colleges couldn’t give athletic scholarships because they were (what I later learned) NCAA Division III. I was good enough to make their teams, but the tuition was much more than my family could afford. I spoke with the coach at Michigan State who told me I was good enough to make the practice squad and get the “gear,” but I’d never play in a real Big 10 match. I thought my dream of extending my athletic career was dead, and I wasn’t as excited to go to college like most of my friends.
Toward the end of my senior year of high school, my golf coach encouraged me to talk to Stan Gooch, the golf coach at Mott Community College, a member of the National Junior Athletic Association (NJCAA). Coach Gooch said I could play in every match, get a full-tuition scholarship, and, if I worked on my game, I could probably walk-on at a four-year college. I grew up 11 miles away from Mott and had never heard of it. I didn’t know the difference between Mott and Michigan State. I spent that summer quietly avoiding conversations about where I was going to college because all my friends were going to universities.
From my very first class, I loved Mott. I loved every teacher and every class. The faculty knew my name and took an interest in my success by encouraging me to do well in my classes. I loved Coach Gooch and enjoyed playing on the golf team. In late December, I got a call from Mott’s basketball coach asking me to try out for the team based on a referral from Coach Gooch. The team had lost several players due to semester grades and other issues. We were down to six players, and I got to play almost every minute of every game for the second half of the season. It was an amazing experience.
Coach Gooch encouraged me to transfer to Oakland University, where I was able to walk-on the golf team and secure a scholarship for my junior and senior seasons. As a communications major at Oakland, I wasn’t sure about my career path. I told a mentor about the profound impact my experience at Mott Community College had on my life, and he encouraged me to pursue a career in community college education.
Motivated by this newfound purpose, I applied to the higher education program at the University of Michigan with an emphasis in community college administration. I started work as a research analyst at Washtenaw Community College when I was 23 years old, finished my Ph.D., and have spent the last 30-plus years working in community colleges and living life way beyond my wildest expectations.
I often tell people that many of the skills I use every day in my role as MVCC President were honed on the golf course and basketball courts in high school and college. My time at Mott Community College altered the trajectory of my life. The opportunity to be an NJCAA student-athlete was the driving force in my college choice, which set that trajectory in motion. For that, I am forever grateful.
I encourage you to donate $1 to the “Million Reasons Why” campaign — not just because of the ways that NJCAA athletics changed my life, but for the millions of student-athletes they’ve supported over the years and those they’ll continue to support in the future.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu
