Jason Burton '16 Recruiting Profile

For as long as I can remember, I have always been viewed as the student- athlete. There is a massive difference though, between athlete and jock. An athlete is one who is a dedicated student, he or she keeps grades at optimal level and they use their time outside of the classroom to further better themselves in their respective sports. They see that they have athletic potential but realize athletics can only get a person so far. There always comes a time where athletics won't support their family or even themselves. The professionals that have the lucky chance to earn money for competing in the sport they love, however great they may be, will have to retire from the sport and move on with life. This is where an education will be crucial to go on with the next stage in their life. My identity as a person is that of a student- athlete. An education is extremely more important than athletics, an education will last all of my life as where athletics will come to an end. A jock, on the other hand, will put athletics before academics. They set themselves up for failure after their athletic career ends. Many jocks have had their athletic career end in high school simply because they did not have the grades to move on to college. As with me, I want to be prepared for when my athletics inevitably come to an end. All though my career might revolve around athletics, it is not simply relying on my athletic ability.