• #BearsOfBaylor — “I think I was kind of naïve about college.”

    “I think I was kind of naïve about college. Everyone who comes to college, there’s a certain maturity they get from that first year. They change a little bit, but it’s for the better. I feel like you go into college as a kid from high school, but after your first year you’re 25% less of a kid from high school.

    “There were definitely some negative times [during my first year], but I feel like that’s what makes you strong, when you persist through those times. You know, this is the real world. You’re away from your parents and your family. That’s kind of tough at times, but that’s what makes you stronger — pushing through those challenges.

    “I chose to live with my grandparents this summer because they’re getting kind of older and I don’t know how many more summers I’ll have with them. They’ve been working me like a dog –- up at 6 a.m. and not done until 9 p.m. But it’s been good, hard work, and I feel like I’ve come out of this summer more of a man. I’ve grown close with [my grandpa]. He’s a real gruff guy, but he’s from a different era. He’s from the Depression era where you pull yourself up by your bootstraps and just kind of fight through whatever challenges come your way. I came into this summer not knowing much about tools or mechanical things, but now I can put air in my tires, change my oil, cut down trees, do all kinds of things without any help. I definitely learned to be a little bit more of a man.”

    #BearsOfBaylor

    [Every Baylor Bear has a story; #BearsOfBaylor brings those stories to you, one by one. These stories, these people… This is our Baylor.]