Babatunde Awosika '10 Recruiting Profile

4706 N. 80th street Letter of interest _ Dear Coaches, Hello, My name is Babatunde Awosika, I am a senior at Milwaukee High School of the arts and I am interested in running track and field in college. Not only do I want to be able to start my career but I would also like to continue my sports career in college This year is especially important for me, not only it being my last year of high school but, it is my last chance to show my community, my state and also your university what I can do, not only on the track but also academically. My freshmen and sophomore year were great developing years for me; I learned more about track and field and also attained more knowledge about training and strategy. I was fortunate enough to be a varsity runner my freshmen year (Whitefish Bay Dominican High School);this helped by giving me the tools that I needed to succeed and also gave me a chance to run against good competition. My sophomore year (Nicolet High school) I was once again put against the best competition in the state, two of which are now University of Kentucky track and field runners, Centrell Minter and Justin Austin. In those races I was able to finish 2nd in the 55 meter dash against Justin and also placed 6th in the 200 (22.82) meter dash against Centrell at the Marquette outdoor invitational which is considered one of the states best meets behind the state meet. These were some of my most memorable moments; it was meaningful to be a no name person keeping up among the states most popular runners and I felt that if I would have had the training and mindset I do now the results would have been different. Track has been a part of my life ever since I discovered I was fast enough not only to compete, but win. This past year has been one that set me back but also helped me develop into the man I am today. At the end of my sophomore year, during track season, me and my family saw problems we didn�??t expect to see. These problems were not as much family related as they were with my behavior. I liked to play the roll of the cool kid; did what I had to do to get by in school, used my class time to talk instead of applying that same effort to my work and didn�??t look at my grades twice to see the progress and/or downfall I was making. Growing up I was always smart enough to get the grades everyone else knew I could get but there was circumstances that when pressured these skills needed to be applied. I took the wrong route and found myself having to transfer from my private-public school district. In Wisconsin the rules state that if you transfer after your sophomore year has started you are ineligible for a year of sports. This was devastating to me, there were so many dreams and aspirations I had and I was too immature to see that they were all slipping away. I never looked back to see the life I was passing on until I took the personal time to reflect on my actions. I missed the end of my sophomore year making me ineligible for regionals, sectionals, and state and on top of that I also had to sit out my junior year. The year ban was so overlapping that even when I was eligible to run again the season was so far in I couldn�??t join the team. This is where I grew the most and this is where I feel at a young age I was turning more and more into a man. I always wanted to run track with an honorable university. As I saw my dream slipping away I used that resentment in a different way than many people would. There was not a single day that I did not work out or make an appearance at the gym. I had lost so much hope that year that the only way I felt that I could lift myself up was to work harder than anyone. Working out twice as hard as I could just in the off-season so I could come this year ready to show everyone who I am and what they have been missing out on for the past year. This year I plan on winning the 100, 200 and 400 meter dash at the state meet. It has become more than a goal for me to accomplish, if I don�??t do what I know I can do it would be a huge disappointment. Not only do I plan on doing all I can do on the track but I also plan on doing what I need to do in the classroom. Coming into high School I never took academics seriously. I never let myself fall to the point of no return but everyone including my family teachers and even myself knew I wasn�??t doing what I was capable of in school. My freshmen year I finished around a 2.4 and sophomore year a 2.2. I was always told that I would come back to bite me but at that point I was too stubborn to listen and college, although a plan to attend, was least important on my list of things to take care of. Growing up mentally was another step of the process of redeeming myself, I had to sit back and look at the mistakes I was making and also the limited time I had to make up for it. I always felt that I was smart enough to do what I needed to do when I needed to do it and this was not only an instance but a prime example of when I had to do it. In the time I had off I really reflected on where I wanted to go with my life because there is always a left and right turn you can make. When I came to High School of the Arts junior year my focus was getting back on track, being the popular cool kid didn�??t apply here, where I was going to go from here was on my shoulders. At arts I am a creative writing major. The environment and class and general helped me; I was able to talk my problems out on paper and even better earn a grade for it. I was able to focus like I had never seen before. The next part was challenging myself not only because I knew I could do the work but also to show future colleges what I could do and the effort I was going to make in school. I enrolled in a honors history course an advanced chemistry class and was also able to stay ahead in my writing class which is an advanced class also. It all payed off because at the end of the year I had received a 3.2 G.P.A and found a spot on the honor roll. I still had ground to make up and enlisted in summer school courses not only to get the necessary credits but also to challenge myself in subjects I knew nothing about. Coming into senior year my focus has not faded, I set myself up to be challenged again by taking pre-calculus without taking algebra 2 and also enlisted in a advanced placement physics course. At the end of the first semester I received a 3.33 G.P.A with an C in my pre-calculus class and a B in my physics class.I feel that the grades could have been better but the effort and will power i had to do the best in the classes I could makes me content with the results. Now I feel that I am on my way to finishing my year with the same grades if not higher. Academics, college, and extra-curricular activities have taken over my life. Not only are they useful now but they will help me succeed as I continue school. In college challenging myself still wont stop. I plan on being a pre-veterinary major, which was always my passion as a kid to work with animals. I know the next years of my life are most important to follow through with my plan, once again I will be challenged and I will strive to succeed. There is nothing I�??m looking forward to more than conquering my dream and I feel that the college will be the launching pad of that dream; I would get to work with some of the nations best instructors, run with one of the nations most prestigious programs, start my career and plan my future. I feel that the college life represents me, a hard working individual that strives to be on top. Someone who will apply himself until the goal is completed. A person who has seen the bottom of the pit and climbed his way to the top. Getting into a prestigious college would not just mean going to school, it�??s the first building block of my future. My time focusing on my life was inspirational for me. It was in the year of time I had off and I really felt that�??s the instance that made me want to make a 360 degree turn with my life. I could see the opportunity that could be turned into my dream. At this juncture in my life I feel that my dream has not slipped away, I can see it right in front of me and I am ready to chase it. The next upcoming six months are the most important six months of my life. I have spent all my time and effort getting back where I knew I could be and not getting as far as I can with my success would be an action of the old me. Looking back is something I rarely do because the present is where I am now and where I am in my life now is setting me up for the future I dream of. There is nothing better I could see happening than me ending it all at the college of my dreams, I would be challenged academically, live in a beautiful area and also run with one of the best track schools . My family has put nothing less than 120% of their effort backing me on every move I have made in my redemption time and there would be nothing more in the world that I would enjoy more than to tell them I earned myself a spot not only at the university but also on the track team. Accomplishing my goal is nothing but two feet away. Thank you for taking the time to reading my letter of interest and considering me for enrollment at your school. Feel free to contact and keep in touch with me on my email ([email protected]) or my personal telephone (414) 630-6744, I am also working on a page on berecruited.com so my personal information will be more easily accessible. _ Sincerely, Babatunde Awosika.