From Special Education to Wall Street: How Basketball Influenced My Life
By: Robert Ashamole
Students enrolled in special education are not expected to amount to anything. I am a first-generation Nigerian, so English was not the primary language spoken at home. In the second grade, my teacher thought that I had difficulties communicating with my peers at school. Thinking that it was a developmental issue, I was placed into special education where I remained until the sixth grade. Being in that environment, I started acting out, skipping my homework, and was later diagnosed with ADHD. Upon hearing the diagnosis, my father made a decision that set the foundation of my life. The next school year, he enrolled me into a Catholic school.
I felt exhausted after taking multiple tests. Based on my academic performance, the school placed me two years behind in the fifth grade, so I was now in the same class as my younger sister. My ego was telling me no, but deep down inside I knew it was the right decision. I was embarrassed about being held back, and matters were made worse when other students were mocking me about my age, height, and special education background. These challenges persisted until my second year of private school, when basketball came into my life.
Basketball made me feel at ease. My problems began to disappear through my success on the basketball court. In my last year of middle school, I was recruited to go to St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey (an all-boys preparatory high school). At St. Joe’s, I was challenged to compete and excel both on and off the court. I found myself there and learned the importance of a good education. Basketball made my life function. In my junior year, my Athletic Director informed me that I would not be able to play during my senior year due to my age. I was coming off a great year; I had a 3.0 GPA, won a basketball championship, and had several Division 1 colleges interested in recruiting me for their teams.
It was a tough year not playing basketball, but I excelled academically, raising my GPA to a 3.5 and also experiencing new things life had to offer. Still, it was an adjustment being just a student and not a student-athlete. I knew colleges would look at my extracurricular activities and see that I only had basketball. Nonetheless, I took on the challenge and applied to 23 colleges and was accepted to 6. Since my parents couldn’t afford to pay for the colleges, I accepted a scholarship to Hagerstown Community College in Maryland, which is a Division 1 basketball JUCO school. I didn’t play much, but I did get noticed academically and made the Dean’s List.
While chasing basketball, I found myself going to four different colleges in four years, eventually finding my home away from home at Hunter College. At Hunter, I was introduced to BMI (Black Male Initiative) which helped me navigate and find a supportive community there. My two mentors and program leaders, Dr. Marcia Cantarella and Dean John Rose showed me what it means to be successful at life. Dr. Cantarella introduced me to a program called StreetWise that improved my professionalism and taught me the importance of networking.
Through these experiences I was able to find my passion for finance, make the Dean’s List with a 3.6 GPA, and meet my college Chancellor James B. Miliken. I am getting ready to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a minor in Accounting. I am also in contact with Goldman Sachs and plan on starting my career there after I graduate. Even though I have been through many ups and downs, I will continue to keep hope alive and keep moving forward.
