Personal Statement
My personal dream is to play at a competitive university. Since the age of five, I have been playing football, having my family and two brothers on the side line cheering me on. My love of football started because I followed right in my older brothers foot steps; he was also a football player. My older brother, Gregory Buckley Jr., enlisted in the Marines just three years ago, and was murdered in Afghanistan on August 10th of this year, in an inside terrorist attack. The whole world crashed down on me and each of my family members lives. In a moment of depression, agony, guilt, anger, and sadness, my normalcy was going back on the field and playing the sport that I love. The last text messages I received from my brother right before he left, were that I already had made him very proud he also stated that he wanted my team to win the Long Island Championship and we had great potential. We are still pushing for that aspiration heading into the Semi-Finals. He also texted me stating that he couldn’t wait to see me play at a big time university because he was not able to see any of my high school football games. Every morning I have the same goal, and every morning I am inspired by my brother to achieve my dreams and fulfill my life long goals. This tragic event has made me much more mature than my fellow peers as well as gives me the strength to fight through any obstacle or adversity that presents itself in life. It gives me the same focus and direction I had in life; however, I am just more committed because now when I am playing football, I play for the aspirations my brother had for me, as well as the goal for me to play college football… Now whenever I rush or receive a touchdown in the end zone, I stop and salute to the sky in memory of Greg, my older brother, hero and role model, where I hope he is looking down smiling.