Student athletes work to overcome more than PR’s

I would like to recognize Karen Perez, a friend of mine. In countless ways, she exemplifies the dedication, passion, and balance possessed by many Red Devils here in Iola. The daughter of immigrants, Karen is a first-generation citizen who has overcome significant barriers to pursue her dreams. 

Karen’s bravery in allowing me to even mention her family’s past is to be commended. Intent on escaping murder, kidnappings, and poverty, her parents came to America to give their children the opportunity for the American Dream. Years later, Karen’s best option to pay for college was via a cross-country and track scholarship, a scholarship contingent on her continued health and ability in her sport.

Since arriving on campus, Karen’s become an officer of Allen’s PTK Honors Society. She’s also the co-director of a newly founded Allen Art Club. Karen maintains balance through yoga, journaling, and running on the trails with her Adonis of a dog, Odin. She is also a skilled graphic designer working on a travel brochure for Iola and Thrive’s LaHarpe campaign. She aspires to work in the field of automotive design.

But if you were to just look at Karen without knowing all this, what would you assume? Would you assume that she is simply fast or strong, merely a talented athlete? And if we’re brutally honest, given that many students of color here at Allen are indeed on athletic scholarships, what would you assume about them upon first glance?

I ask because representation matters. And if we only equate diversity with athletics, we hamper our ability to envision people of color existing in leadership roles outside sports.

Limiting people of color to the roles of athlete and entertainer leads us to think that’s all people of color can be. It functions the same way with gender: Girls need to know they can be engineers, doctors, and lawyers, not just nurses and teachers. But if these roles don’t change — if we can’t imagine people of color doing or being more — we risk ruining their potential. We don’t have many laws dividing us today; instead, in subtle ways, the ideas of who can do what in America is based on example.

Like my friend Karen, student athletes often work tirelessly to balance their academics, athletics, extracurriculars, and employment. But balancing acts like this can end in injury, and when they do — as the nation saw when Duke freshman Zion Williamson’s shoe fell apart and he sprained his knee versus North Carolina — the stakes are high. Student athletes’ academic future can depend on their ability to do extraordinary things. It’s almost like they’re professionals, minus the multi-million dollar contracts.

But besides their bodies, what else do student athletes sacrifice? Most know that student athletes miss more class than a regular student. But research also shows that student athletes often choose to major in less rigorous fields of study. These decisions can jeopardize their ability to compete in the labor market once their scholarship ends.

One might ask: so why would one even choose an athletic scholarship given the risks? That answer is easy: there’s no other option, and college is really, really expensive. 

The Pell Grant only covers an average of 31 percent of tuition for students; if you don’t have outside help from your family or scholarships, that’s a big gap to cover. What’s more, minority students earn 28 percent  of all academic scholarships despite being a third of applicants. The disparities minorities face don’t result from a lack of interest or presence; they result from structures and a lack of opportunity. Given these barriers — plus the frightening statistics of incarceration rates for black and brown males in America today — it’s no wonder students who have an opportunity to accept an athletic scholarship do so. It’s often their best way to pay for college. 

Without a doubt, student athletes at Allen are talented. In fact, I’m proud our teams compete with the best in the country. But that’s not all these individuals can do nor the only reason they’re here. And while Allen students appreciate the support given to our student athletes, we should also make it a point to positively affirm students for the successes they have off the court, field, track, course, or diamond. Colleges should work to prioritize what will matter to these students after their practices, competitions, and athletic careers are finished. Their ambitions matter more than their eligibility. As my friend Karen proves so strongly, we have a lot more to offer our community than entertainment!

Imani Lemon is a Topeka sophomore at Allen Community College and an Iola Kiwanis Club scholarship recipient. He writes a bi-monthly column focused on student life at Allen.