By WILSON CONDE
STAFF WRITER
Rutgers sophomore Chris Morales had a one-of-a-kind high school experience at Blair Academy, a boarding school in Blairstown, N.J.
There, he was the school's star varsity baseball and football athlete – as well as a student leader.
Morales says he learned some important life lessons. The first lesson was the importance of persevering through life's challenges.
“My high school football and baseball coaches really taught me to roll with the punches of life and to never give up on anything that I do,” said Morales. "I really live by this mantra."
The second lesson Morales took with him from Blair was the value of community service.
"My school always made a huge emphasis on community and people helping other people out for the greater good and stuff, “ he said. "At first, it was hard to buy into, but as time progressed you really learned to care for your fellow students and friends as if they were family."
Morales also says he values the several lifetime friends that he made at Blair, some of whom he still keeps in touch with.
The friendship that stood out the most, however, is the one he had with his roommate, whom he still considers to be his best friend, he said.
"My roommate in high school is my best friend, and we’ve become so close over the years that he considers me to be the closest thing he has to a brother," said Morales. “When you live with your friends for four years, you really see sides of them that you never thought you would.”
In addition, Morales says he values his experience as a student leader, which for him involved two aspects. First, he helped out gave served as a student counselor to younger classmates, from whom he also drew inspiration. Second, he rallied his fellow students to show their school spirit during the school’s athletic events, he said.
“I can remember countless conversations I had with younger students about my experiences at Blair," said Morales. "What I found more rewarding was how they really impacted my senior year. They probably taught me as much as I taught them, and for that I'm grateful I made the choice to be a senior leader."
Morales cherished his time on the varsity football team, and says his career's best achievement occurred at the final game of his senior year, which was played against his school's traditional rival.
"The crowd was packed with fans and there was easily close to 2000 people watching the game," said Morales. "We ended up winning the game and taking home a trophy that the two schools fight over every year. I’ll never forget how I felt that day, because I knew that all my hard work over 4 years had finally paid off. "
Morales also says that his Blair experienced were worthwhile.
“Being away from my family was hard at first, but now I don’t regret it, because it made me grow up a lot quicker," said Morales. " I met some of the greatest people at Blair, and I owe a lot to the school as well as the administration for creating a place where I could grow as a person."
Morales is currently a journalism major with a minor in sociology, and hopes to pursue a sports casting career.
"Throughout Blair I really learned to watch sports in detail and take time to learn players names and many of their stories," Morales said. " My friends at Blair who were into sports showed me that sports has a lot more dimensions to it than just athletes playing on a field. This is one of the reasons I chose sports-casting as a future goal."
Morales also said he has few worries about his future.
“I go with whatever life gives me, " Morales said. "If I'm meant to be a sports broadcaster, then great. If not, then be that as it may, I know that I will put in 110 percent in whatever I do in the future.' |
