Incoming freshmen and transfer students should feel “unstoppable” in their pursuit of a degree from Jackson State University after learning that Sunday’s convocation speaker defied the odds in 2011 to become an NCAA wrestling champion despite being born with one leg.
The message to never give up was delivered by Anthony Robles, who, in that same year, also earned the NCAA’s “Best Wrestler of the National Tournament Award.”
Robles, of Arizona, spoke poignantly about his initial competitive losses, and undisputed victories later. He visited JSU to urge new enrollees to continue chasing their dreams.
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]N a video presentation before his speech, his mother recounted how proud she was to attend her son’s first wrestling match, but then her joy quickly turned to sorrow after the crowd’s reaction. She said spectators laughed when he hopped onto the middle of the mat with his one leg. “It broke my heart.” She was so crushed that she didn’t want her son ever subjected to such humiliation again.
But a young, confident Robles was undeterred then and even later in life when he wasn’t heavily recruited for college despite two undefeated seasons and two state titles.
He described the many challenges everyone faces in life.
“We wrestle with school; we wrestle with family things; there are always obstacles and challenges we have to overcome,” he said. “This fight that we have is unstoppable.”
Robles learned the word “unstoppable” from his mother, who explained to him that God would reveal later why he was born with only one leg.
At age 14, he received his answer, which was to become a wrestler.
“Unstoppable” is also the name of his poem. It admonishes individuals to persevere even through “blood, sweat and tears.” His book is titled “Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion.”
Robles admits that he was not a “natural” wrestler, but, nevertheless, the sport became his passion. In fact, he was the smallest athlete on his city tournament team and finished in last place. After that loss, he began charting a path to success.
As he did for himself, he urged JSU students to “write down what you’re chasing so you can look at it every single day because the only person who can hold you accountable to your goals is yourself.”
Robles warned that the journey will be tough but that if you “grind now you shine later.”
After some ups and downs with family (abandoned by father) and health (suffering an infectious fever known as mononucleosis), Robles would go on to eventually defeat rivals during his years at Arizona State University and become national champion.
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]EANWHILE, JSU President Carolyn W. Meyers also offered words of inspiration to incoming freshmen and transfer students.
Regardless of your academic studies, she told them they have a special role in the world. “This planet needs you and your best preparation, your best thinking, all of your creativity.” She reminded them they are the embodiment of hope.
Freshman Kwaze Dane, 18, of Miami, said, “Convocation means a lot to me because JSU took the time to have a mock-style graduation.” Also, the criminal justice and sociology major in the College of Liberal Arts, said the occasion means “JSU expects nothing but greatness and expects us all to graduate. Four years from now, I can envision most, if not 100 percent, of us marching across the stage.”
Another freshman, Tyhler Battle, 18, of St. Louis, said, “I’m so excited to see what I’ll do over the next four years. I know I’ll achieve a lot. It makes me want to work hard and put in the right amount of effort and prepare to make plenty of memories with the people I’ll meet here.” The chemistry/pre-medicine major, whose father and other family members are JSU alums, said she was especially thrilled to hear the speaker talk about perseverance. “It gave me hope and reassurance that no matter what you go through you can become an unstoppable success.”
Along with Meyers and Robles, two of JSU’s prominent young adult representatives dispensed pearls of wisdom, too.
Issuing a clarion call for positive action, Student Government Association President Kendall Bunch reminded his peers that to be successful over the next several years they must 1) maintain faith and a relationship with God; 2) lean on family; 3) choose wisely the crowd they hang out with; 4) get involved in campus activities; 5) set goals; and 6) slow down to cherish college days.
Miss JSU Destiney Lawrence complemented that advice with a few of her own: 1) believe in yourself; 2) be organized; 3) prioritize; and 4) exercise time management.
Before ending the ceremony, Meyers saluted faculty for being “guardians of students’ dreams” and described the staff as the “framework that holds you up for anything that you build.”
She concluded by saying that the alumni, represented by national president Yolanda Owens, “provide hard proof in today’s world of the value of a Jackson State University education as they continue to rise to new heights.”
As for keynote speaker Robles, a script for a feature film chronicling his life is reportedly complete with pre-production under way.
