For Richard Pocock, Anything worth Doing is Worth Overdoing
Courtesy of California Community College Athletic Association
Looking back over the past few years, Richard Pocock has always believed that his
exposure and participation with different cultures, would enhance his emotional and
personal growth. After graduating from high school, he became part of the Cerritos
College culture. This educational culture gave him the opportunity to fuel his thirst
for academic knowledge. It also gave him the chance to utilize the resources on campus to
excel in the classroom as he earned a 3.7 GPA.
An invitation by the Wrestling Coach to participate on the Cerritos Intercollegiate
Wrestling team allowed him to become part of the student athlete culture on the college
campus. He developed a support system that
consisted of his teammates and his coaches that allowed him to hone his skills which
resulted in
his earning 4th in the state in his weight class and being recognized as an Academic
and Athletic All American. With all the academic and athletic growth that Richard
had experienced while attending Cerritos College, it could not overshadow the one
culture that has created the most challenge and personal conflict within himself.
Richard never questioned the importance of family and especially valued his relationship with his younger siblings, but he always knew that an education would provide him with more opportunities as he wanted to create his own personal legacy.
Overcoming cultural and familial expectations while balancing his academic and athletic
aspirations created conflict and stress between him and his parents. This issue escalated
to the point that during his first term at Cerritos College he was kicked out of the house
and was homeless until his grandparents took him in. The next two years became a roller
coaster ride that tested his inner drive to succeed in his academic and
athletic endeavors.
The everyday challenges of balancing school, athletics and personal time as well as
finding transportation
to school and his fulltime job, challenged him to the point where he began questioning
whether he made the right choice of going to school.
During this time, he met and had several discussions with his Academic Athletic Counselor,
Michael Miles. During these appointments, Michael would guide him through his academic,
career and personal pathways,
which ultimately provided Richard a plan of success which allowed him to stay on course
to reach all of his goals and aspirations.
Through it all, Richard has taken the positive values from all the aforementioned cultures, and created his own personal standards of excellence.
Richard is on a roll after transferring to Hastings College in Nebraska in 2017, winning the Great Plains Athletic Conference's 149-pound championship this February.
The inner strength that allowed him to gain personal maturity, become accountable for all his actions, and focus on his goals can be attributed to his own personal mantra, “Anything worth Doing, is Worth Overdoing.”
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