It’s Monday—the last day of school—and I didn’t even realize my coaches were running around trying to help some of my teammates stay academically eligible for college scholarships. Meanwhile, I got handed a job: pass out newspapers all over the school. At 10 a.m., the newspapers showed up, right in the middle of graduation day.

 It was my first time doing something like that, and honestly, it turned out to be pretty fun. It was a warm overcast day that turned into scorching heat by noon, which made everything move in slow motion. I was sweating through my shirt before I even made it to the fourth floor. My mom taught me that my tough days aren’t everyone else’s problem, and I remembered that. When I felt like complaining, I rolled my shoulders back, stood tall, and smiled as I introduced myself to every teacher I interacted with. 

A few teachers I had never spoken to nodded or even smiled at me. I talked to some, cracked a joke with others. Who knows, maybe I’ll have them next year, anything’s possible. I hope they remember me for when my senior year comes around . I wanted to show them I care about more than just football. I’m out here trying to raise my GPA, doing every extra assignment or extra credit I can.

Some students gave me weird looks, maybe wondering why a football player was handing out newspapers like a freshman job. But I didn’t care. I felt like I was doing something meaningful. Being part of something on graduation day, even if I wasn’t the one graduating, felt cool. I walked the halls with confidence, like I belonged to the bigger picture of the school. That day reminded me: if you move with purpose, people see it—even if it’s just passing out paper.