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?

Transcript

Cold Open And Show Vibe

Monique Robinson 0:00

Before my name is ever spoken, I stand as a reflection of generation.

SPEAKER_11 0:05

Yeah, yeah. Step up, lean. Vic dreams on the screen again. From the block to the band to the big stage playing. We talk wins, talk fine, talk, yes, you can.

SPEAKER_03 0:16

Welcome to a better chest TV. Speaking to the future, two three. We talk about three.

Scholarship Update And San Antonio Send Off

Monique Robinson 2:13

Some people even call me Dr. Moe sometimes. But hey, today we are here. That was a lot. We are here because we have another powerful essay from one of our contestants in the Takisha A. Davis scholarship stipend for the year. Now, before we talk about that, this weekend, if you are in San Antonio, I hope I press the right button because y'all know this has been a blooper show already. So in San Antonio this weekend, yay, and I hit the right one. We will be having the South Texas HBCU summer send-off. Now, this is kind of like you know a day party for people going to college, and it's also um a chance for our HBCU bound scholars to interact with the alum. Now, I like to give a special shout out to Ken's Five for airing a story about the event on Sunday. And if you missed it, it will definitely be in our newsletter. Now, if you want to attend, we do need you to register. So I will be putting a link on our social pages as well as our newsletter. And if you don't register, you can register on site. And we still need help with donations. So um, yes, if you you if it touches your heart to do so, let us know. Now, also we have the urban league, um, San Antonio satellite office urban league, uh, who is going to be a partner with us for this event. And we look to do some more amazing work with them. And I know I have like their picture up and you can't really see my face. My bad. Now, the San Antonio area um urban league, I might be twisting the words, and I do apologize for that. This weekend I got a chance to do some work with the Austin area urban league. And when I tell you those guys, you know, Mr. Quincy, the president, Mr. Doty, even um a grandfam person that, you know, was with them as well. Um, so you guys, thank you for allowing me to hang with you guys over the weekend and learn how the urbanly do things in public spaces. But most importantly, thank you for supporting our scholars and being a huge partner in the event. And I didn't really get to go into the details at the interview on the news, but hey, I said when I find this space, I'm gonna tell people how much I appreciate you all's help in getting the things needed for our scholars. Now, after this commercial, I will bring on a wonderful guest. And guess what, guys? He is not in Texas. So we're gonna find out some information about him. We're gonna hear this wonderful essay, and then we're gonna ask a couple of questions. All right, right after our commercial.

Resources And Sponsor Messages

SPEAKER_07 5:14

Are you interested in attending an historically black college or university? Hello, my name is Robert Dean. I'm president and founder of the Common Black College Application. Our application allows students to apply to over 50 historically black colleges and universities at the same time for only $20. HDCU graduates have been some of the most renowned individuals in their respective fields since the late 1800s. In addition to that, our faculty and staff are truly committed to your success and they have a vested interest in seeing that you do it. That, coupled with the academic vigor and the fact that you will establish lifelong relationships, are just some of the many benefits of your attending and historically black college. So if you're interested in completing the Common Black College app, visit our website, the CommonBlack CollegeApp.com, to apply that. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Celebrate the excellence of HBCU with the HBCU Trivia Game. This board game provides an exciting and educational way to learn about notable alumni, historical events, sports news, and more. This trivia game is sure to be a fit and perfect for college-bound youth, alumni, and the entire family. Don't miss out on this opportunity to support, educate, and entertain getting HBCU Trivia Game today. Go to HBCU Trivia Game.net to order.

Meet Nicholas Boone And His Major

Monique Robinson 6:41

Welcome back. Welcome back. Yes, I did, you know, a little commercial, and I'm sorry I cut off the common black ad, but definitely that's a good resource, especially if you are a rising senior. You can kind of get ahead of everybody because that application is $20, I believe, unless they went up. And it allows you to apply for several schools at the same time because those applications easily get to be costly. So let me bring on our guests for today. How are you today?

SPEAKER_08 7:38

I'm doing well. How are you doing?

Monique Robinson 7:39

I told you we I told you it was gonna be a blooper show. I don't know what's going on with me pushing the wrong buttons and the wrong stuff starting out, but hey, welcome and thank you for coming today. Now, uh tell us about yourself. What's your name?

SPEAKER_08 7:53

Well, hi. My name is Nicholas Boone. I'm from Bowie, Maryland. I have grown I grew up in Bowie. I attended uh Bowie High School for my senior year, and I will be attending Morgan State University, majoring in civil engineering this fall.

Monique Robinson 8:10

Okay, so no Bowie State for you? Like not at all?

SPEAKER_08 8:15

Bowie State Bowie State didn't have my major. None of the current colleges in the area have my major besides uh yeah, Morgan State.

Monique Robinson 8:24

Okay, that's it. Morgan State. Continue. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_08 8:31

Morgan Morgan uh civil engineering isn't a very common major either. So not a lot of HBCs have the major already. And so since it's also in the engineering field, it's also a highly selective field, too, that I'm going into. But luckily enough, civil engineering is also a very flexible field. That's because I I get to go into all the other different fields of STEM and the system and anything they would need. So one day I could be working with nuclear engineering. Next day I work with mechanical engineering, then the day after that, electrical engineering. So it's a very flexible field.

Monique Robinson 9:11

Okay. Well, I liked it in that, but why engineering?

SPEAKER_08 9:15

Engineering because I grew up I grew up playing a lot of games based around city building and building in general. So I kind of gained a passion for making stuff, seeing my stuff play out in real life, seeing how it can make change in certain places. Mainly I like building things and seeing my actual buildings in real person and in real life. I started 3D printing back in my tenth grade year. I was able to make a 3D printing of a brownfield not too long ago. So seeing seeing my actual projects become a reality for life is a really cool thing for me.

Monique Robinson 9:55

Awesome. Okay. Well, that sounds really cool. So um, I believe you have something prepared for us today.

SPEAKER_08 10:04

I do. I have my essay already prepared.

Monique Robinson 10:07

I keep leaning down. I don't want people to look at the top of my head. There we go. I was like, why am I seeing him really close? All right. So you have your essay?

SPEAKER_10 10:17

You ready?

Monique Robinson 10:20

Okay, so uh the floor is all yours. You got this.

SPEAKER_08 10:24

Alright.

Essay On Setbacks And Discipline

SPEAKER_08 10:25

Progress has never moved in a straight line in my life. And the finish line has never stayed in one place. Every time I reach the milestone, a new challenge will appear that demanded more of me from the last. Instead of being discouraged, those moments strengthened my determination to grow. I started playing football when I was five years old and dreamed of playing at the high school level. When I finally entered high school, I was ready to play football for all four years. During my last quarter of my freshman year, I lost focus and stopped taking my academics as seriously as I should have. My grades dropped slightly to where I was ineligible by a 0.1 point. My GPA missed the bare minimum by 0.1, which hurt more than just me flat out not being eligible. But since I was so close but couldn't play, it hurt even more. When I found that news out, and I had to tell my teammates, my family, they were all disappointed. And I it was especially hard to face my uncles who would often fly in from out of town just to watch me play. Informing them that I had lost my spot on the team due to my academics was one of the toughest moments I have experienced. This was the turning point in my life. I made a decision I would never let academics prevent me from doing something I love to do. I secured tutors in math and Spanish, met regularly with my teachers, and developed better study habits to help me improve my grades and continue to succeed after this little mishap. Through discipline and determination, this improved my grades and to where I earned honorable for the remainder of my time at Bowie High School. I returned to the football field during my junior and senior years stronger than before. That experience reshaped my mindset. I learned that setbacks do not define me, but my response to them does. As I prepared to attend Morgan State University as a civil engineer scholar, I know that challenges will intensify. Engineering demands precision, analytical thinking, and long-term commitment. Through my experience in the Exilent Foundation, Voices STEM Academy, I explored and collaborated with different engineers, mainly civil engineers, and they gave me hands-on experience about electrical circuits, uh infrastructure settings, and how infrastructure can support communities, and how important it is to have good infrastructure. Later on, as a STEM ambassador, I stepped into a leadership role and taught 32 of my classmates how to construct and apply circuit systems. At Morgan State University, I will rise as a scholar, maintaining the discipline that wants to restore my eligibility and apply it into a rigorous engineering coursework. When the finished line shifts, I will adjust to refocus and push forward. I will seek mentorships, internships, and use campus resources to help me grow and improve to where I would like to succeed. For me, attending an HBCU means joining a legacy, a legacy family built on resilience, innovation, and excellence, and determination. I will continue that legacy by pursuing research opportunities, mentoring younger students since then, and engaging in community-based engineering progress that address the infrastructure disparities and underserved communities. The finish line in my life may continue to move, but I no longer feel change in your challenges. And every line shift represents growth. Each challenge strengthens my foundation and determination. And at Morgan State University, I will continue pushing forward with determination and discipline. Determination not only to earn a degree, but to grow into a leader that's prepared to serve my community and others.

SPEAKER_09 14:40

How so?

Leaving A Mark With A Future Scholarship

Monique Robinson 14:42

So, um now you after we take this really, really short commercial break, because I know you probably gotta catch your breath before I start asking you some more questions. But I just want to put this on your radar. Um, how do you plan to leave your mark after commercial? How do you plan to leave your mark on Morgan State campus once you get there? Right after this.

SPEAKER_08 15:06

My main goal is to when I leave to have a scholarship named after me to help the under, not the high GPAs, but more of the 2.7s, 2.5s. The people who try their hardest but just slightly miss the mark, like I did when it came to football during my freshman year. I was so close to being eligible, but I missed it by that 0.1 mark, which made me ineligible to play. So I plan to support the students or leave a scholarship that helps students that are in the same little gray area where they're doing all right, but they're not doing bad enough where they need help. Or they're not doing too well where they get seen by everyone. That's my main goal to believe in Mark at Morgan State.

Monique Robinson 15:50

Oh, wow. All right. Now you said it before the commercial, so now I gotta after the commercial out, we'll be back with a different question with our wonderful guest who did excellent on his essay right after this.

Break And Featured Book Promo

SPEAKER_06 16:02

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Monique Robinson 17:11

And you all have probably sat with us, like, what is going on here? Because, you know, it's just a paper show today. You know, I have a ton of jokes today. But it's okay. We made it through and we're almost about to wrap it up.

Why Vote And What He Stands For

Monique Robinson 17:24

So um if I can ask you one more question, why should people vote for you? Because voting is part of the contest. You have so many components that you have to get points for, but voting is like the final like determination because just say you and another person do well on your essay, you gotta decide it somehow. So why should people vote for you?

SPEAKER_08 17:51

People should vote for me because I'm determined to create a better future for myself and my community and other care communities around me. I continue to push myself academically and personally while staying involved and support others around me. I value integrity, resilience, service, determination. While I I would represent the values of this scholarship with my dedicated purpose. I would like to form a scholarship after I graduate and after I make my mark at Morgan State.

Final Announcements And Thanks

Monique Robinson 18:30

Wow. That's ambitious. So you're gonna leave your mark and you say it after I win this scholarship. So y'all hear them. Um like, share, comment, definitely vote. Um Morgan State, you had a lot of people in this competition this year. So, you know, alum, y'all might need to help your folks out. I know, fam, you did that last year with several of the contestants that were uh attending there in the fall. So I uh thank you for coming on and giving us your time today. We truly appreciate it. When do you leave for school?

SPEAKER_08 19:03

I leave August 20th, actually.

Monique Robinson 19:10

You ready to go or just ready to go?

SPEAKER_08 19:13

I'm ready. Amos Robinson, fun fact. Morgan is the biggest HBCU in the state of Maryland. So it kind of makes sense why we got so many applicants.

Monique Robinson 19:24

Hey, I I I don't have a dog in that fight. I graduated from the Wilberforce University, but I like that you know your history because you gotta know where you're going and gotta know the facts about it. I love that. So good luck to you as you transition through this competition. I wish you much, much, much success. And if you need me, we just a phone call away. Um, so Morgan State, the call has been out. You have several people in the competition this year, and you know, we gotta help our young people out. So it's been fun, but don't forget our announcements. We hope to see you Saturday, even if you just peek your head in for the annual um HBCU summer send-off. Thank you again to the Austin Urban League, um, who is about to leave their mark here in San Antonio with the San Antonio satellite office of the Urban League. So uh, and they're you know helping fund a lot of the activities. So we are grateful for them in the partnership that we have. So thank you till next time. We'll see you soon.

Network Promos And Sign Off

SPEAKER_04 20:35

For inspiration, motivation, and the good news of Jesus Christ. Look no further. The Daily Gospel Network has what you need. With more than 300 ministries from all over the country broadcasting every week, you're sure to get your dose of spirit-filled encouragement from the great programs on the Daily Gospel Network. Catch the Daily Gospel Network on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, all mobile devices, and the internet.

Monique Robinson 21:00

Tune in to a Better Chance for Youth Television show with Host Moni Robinson on the Daily Gospel Network. A television show dedicated to highlighting incredible students on the change the world. Join us every week as we uplift the youth and help them on their journey to the bright future they can earn. At the Better Chance for Youth Television Show with host Monique Robinson on the Daily Gospel Network. Thanks for watching a Better Chance for Youth Television show with your host Monique Robinson. The television show where we highlight incredible students in their quest to change the world. Join us each and every week as we uplift our youth and help them on their journey to the bright future they deserve. So until next time, God bless from your friends on a Better Chance for Youth Television show with your host Monique Robinson.