FromWalk-OntoScholarship.
FromDreamtoReality.

When thinking of a title for this book I almost went with "No, not like Rudy." Inevitably when someone found out I was a walk-on with the Notre Dame football team, they would say, "Oh, like Rudy." I realize the tale of a Notre Dame football walk-on has been well documented in the movie "Rudy." The movie helped to put the Notre Dame walk-on in the mind's eye of many fans and moviegoers alike. I have tremendous respect for what he accomplished, and he is a true testament to the power of hard work and perseverance.

With that being said, and I speak on behalf of all my walk-on teammates, we never endeavored to be the next Rudy. Rather, we constantly tried to fight the stereotype of being the hard worker who did not quite measure up in terms of athletic ability. Our goal as walk-ons was never to only play a minor role without speaking lines. Our goal was to play and contribute.

I enjoyed some of the greatest moments of my life during my time at Notre Dame. I also experienced some of the most frustrating and disappointing moments while there. I fought a constant battle of mind over circumstance and truly believed good things would eventually happen, even when the light at the end of the tunnel seemed a thousand miles away; if I could even see it at all.

In "Paradise Lost," Milton said, "The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven." The truth of these words rings so true to me when I reflect on my time at Notre Dame. The world and your circumstance are truly how you envision them. No matter what the reality of the situation was, I always envisioned myself being successful and achieving my dreams. The ability to create my own reality through my attitude is probably the single most important lesson I learned. A positive attitude and a strong work ethic can overcome anything.