From Football Setback To Civil Engineering Purpose At Morgan State

Missing a goal by 0.1 can mess with your confidence or it can change your life. We sit down with scholarship contestant Nicholas Boone from Bowie, Maryland, who’s headed to Morgan State University to major in civil engineering, and he brings a story that hits hard for students, parents, and educators alike. His essay starts with a simple truth: progress doesn’t move in a straight line, and the finish line doesn’t stay put. Nicholas opens up about losing football eligibility after his grades slipped just enough to miss the cutoff by 0.1 GPA. Instead of letting that moment define him, he rebuilt his routine with tutors, teacher check-ins, and better study habits, then came back stronger on and off the field. We talk about why civil engineering fits his personality and goals, how city-building games and 3D printing helped spark his passion for building real things, and how STEM programs and leadership opportunities taught him to collaborate, teach, and step up. We also zoom out to the bigger HBCU ecosystem: the South Texas HBCU summer send-off in San Antonio, community partnerships with the Urban League, and practical resources like the Common Black College Application that help students apply to multiple HBCUs affordably. Then Nicholas shares the mark he wants to leave behind a future scholarship for the “gray area” students with 2.5 to 2.7 GPAs who work hard but often get overlooked. If you care about HBCU students, STEM education, academic resilience, and building stronger communities through infrastructure, press play. Subscribe, share this with a college-bound student, and leave us a review then tell us: what setback ended up becoming your turning point?Send us Fan MailSupport the show