Devin Randle '20 Recruiting Profile

The most important moment in my life was when I didn’t make my high school basketball team. I didn’t know what I was going to do without playing a sport. I had known since middle school that I wanted to earn a degree in Computer Science with a minor in Graphics Design, plan to get internships in Computer Programming to prepare me for my Computer career and to play basketball throughout high school and college. So, not making the high school basketball team threw off my plans.

At that moment, I realized that I needed to get over this setback. My friend Derrhyl gave me this advice.  “Don’t let being cut from the team hurt you. Use it as fuel to make you hungrier. Take that pain and work to make sure you never feel it again.”  That inspired me to watch more basketball and practice every day which pushed me past my limits.

Although this was good advice, I ended up not trying out for basketball team again, and instead went out for track. I began falling in love with this sport and decided to continue this journey. That year was the first time in years that I have not played basketball on a team. My second year on the track team we went to the indoor state championships.

As I’ve continued this journey, there are days that pain has racked my body. My father says “Pain is only weakness leaving your body.” This statement has pushed me and made me want to be better. Now in the 2019 outdoor season, I am second in the region for 300 hurdles and eleventh in the state. I’ve applied what I’ve learned in sports to my studies by maintaining a 3.93 GPA (last semester), taking AP and Honors courses and working in the community. Through this advice, I have learned the true meaning of dedication and hard work, but also in our life goals, you need to be flexible and open to change.