Matt Brown

As a basketball and football player, I used to think that only athletes worked hard and accomplished things. Then one day I came back to the dorm after a three-hour practice. I complained to my roommate how tired I was and he said he had been at the art center painting for six hours. That was an eye-opener. Then I started to notice, most people here are like that. Whatever they’re into, they work really hard, and they’re really good at it.

 

Being surrounded by all these successful people is motivating. You work harder. You learn to manage your time and be responsible. And, of course, you learn to take advantage of all the great teachers, coaches, and faculty here.

 

And it’s funny, but being surrounded by so much talent teaches you other things, too, like patience. I’d always been a star at basketball but last year I wasn’t; there were so many great players on our team. For once, I had to take a back seat, but that pushed me. And my dad told me to keep my head up and be ready when it was my time to shine. Now, here I am, being recruited to play basketball at some great schools, like Georgetown, Notre Dame, even Harvard.

 

Don’t get me wrong, NMH is a lot of fun too, both in and out of class. For example, in American Lit, when we studied Raisin in the Sun, we acted it out. I got to play Travis, the kid. What a blast and I learned a lot. Then there are the dorms, and living with guys who are your best friends, your brothers. You play hide and seek, dress up like clowns, or just hang out and watch movies.

 

I believe this now more than ever: hard work pays off. Of course a lot of people told me that before. But until I came to NMH, I never knew how much I’d love it.