Devon Ringi '17 Recruiting Profile

Growing up I always knew the importance of being a good student. School used to excite me and always gave me something to look forward to.  My mother was in the military so I had to move an abnormal amount of times for the average kid.  I hated having to always start over.  I was being raised by a single mother, but she always made sure I was on top of my work and understood the importance pushing to do my best. I ended up having to live with my grandparents for awhile because my mother got deployed to Iraq.  It was my grandparents that introduced me to football as way to help fill my days and take my mind off the sadness I felt.  Eventually I went back to live with my mom in Texas and this was kind of where my life changed. My mother had met somebody in the military and eventually married.  Their new marriage required us to move to California shortly after our transition to Texas. I began to notice my attitude and ability to adjust to all the moving decline.  Luckily my parents kept me involved in sports.  Football gave me an outlet to release a lot of the frustration that I couldn’t explain as a child.  It was also a great opportunity for me to build a relationship with my stepfather since he volunteered as an assistant coach through most of my younger football years.  My parents would continue to move over the next 6 years and with every move it seemed my grades continuously declined.  It wasn’t something I was doing on purpose and honestly struggled to change the course, but seemed to fail both mentally and physically with every attempt.  Sophomore year of high school my parents would decide to move one last time to build a stable home for our family.  Unfortunately, I was going through a big mental change at that time.  I was always angry and didn’t really associate with many people. I hated admitting that I needed help and so I kept everything to myself.  My family had always been there for me, but I can admit that I can be a stubborn person.  I did my best to show I was strong, independent, and could handle the emotional change.  I always remained respectful in school and home, but my school work ethic did not match my potential. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until very recently in my senior year where I realized just how much I had been withdrawing and slacking all these years.   A little late considering the goals I have always had for myself.   Here I am stuck with transcripts that at first glance would make people immediately judge me negatively as lazy, unmotivated, and not serious about my life. However, I am choosing to believe that there is still an opportunity for me to achieve my dream of going to college even if I have to take a longer route to get to the end goal. I am committed to working extremely hard to be able to further my education, perfect my craft of football, and be ready for the real world.