How did you find York? What was that process like? 

I was recruited for basketball. I actually committed to York two weeks before school started without coming on a visit. I was enrolled to go to a school in Michigan, where I was going to try to walk on the team there. I had a few offers from other schools but they didn’t have great graduation rates. I wanted to get a good education and to be prepared for the world. I was in Florida when York first reached out, and I told the coach no. I didn’t want to go to York because I already had my flight booked for Michigan and was registered for classes. I had just gotten off the phone with a counselor from Michigan. York emailed me again and asked me if I wanted to play, and I was writing out an email to tell them that I planned on walking on at the other school. My stepmom saw me writing the email and asked me why I was telling them no. She said, “Your goal is to play basketball, right?” And she was right, so I ended up emailing the coaches at York back and had a conversation with them about committing. And just two weeks later, I arrived on York’s campus. I had no idea what it even looked like. I didn’t know that there was going to be crazy snow though.

 

What were your initial thoughts when you came to York? 

When I first came to York, I was a pretty quiet person. I was pretty introverted, actually. Then I met everybody on the basketball team, that helped me open up a lot. One moment that always makes me laugh is move-in day. My younger brother and I opened the door to my room in McCloud and just stood there for a second taking it all in. Let’s just say it wasn’t the most impressive first impression. But once I got settled in and started building relationships, my perspective completely changed.

 

How would you describe the person you were when you first came to York? 

Like I said before, I was a very introverted person. I think being RA (resident assistant) and being surrounded by basketball helped me be a totally different person. I'm pretty sure if you look at how I was in high school and who I am now, it's almost night and day. I think I’ve had a conversation with almost everyone on this campus. If I haven’t yet, there’s still time before I leave. But I think that the person who walks across the stage will be someone that I hope has left their mark on somebody in a positive way. I want people to remember me as the person who made other people's time here more enjoyable, whether that be on the basketball team, as an RA, or just someone that I talked to along the way.

 

What is your favorite spot to be on campus and why? 

My favorite spot to be on campus is probably the swings. I love the swings a lot. I think that they’re a great place to be, no matter what season it is. They’re very beautiful, except in the cold. When the winds come, and the snow starts to fall, I don’t like being out there, even though the snow falling is really pretty. I like the swings the most during the fall months and looking at all the leaves change colors. Summer is good too, there’s just a lot of bugs.

 

What were you involved in during your time at YU? 

I am on the men’s basketball team. I was the vice president of a Greek life club, A.X.E. for a year. I was also an RA for a couple of years. I just float around everywhere, wherever I’m needed. (Terrence was also voted by his peers as the 2025 Homecoming King.)

 

What were some classes that stood out to you?

There are two classes that come to mind, and I did not like either of them, at first. But looking back, I actually had a lot of fun in them. The first one was Shakespeare with Dr. Hardy. I found out that I didn’t like Shakespeare at all but that’s where I kind of fell in love with poetry. So it’s a love/hate relationship with Shakespeare. The second class that I didn’t like at first but found appreciation for it after was a creative writing class with Dr. Butle-Gruett. He’s a super strict English professor but he did help me develop my writing a lot. He isn’t fake about how he feels about the poetry that I’ve written. He wants to see me grow and critiqued me to get better. I’ve never attempted poetry before I came to York. I have found a love for language.

 

What were the biggest takeaways that you got from YU? 

My biggest takeaway is that even though York is a small town, you fall in love with the people. The people make York what it is. I think if I went to any other small town, I don’t know if I would’ve had the same experiences. It’s because the people of York that really made me fall in love with the community and understand the importance of community. Everyone is so welcoming here. York has grown to be a home away from home for me. I’ve never had strangers invite me to go to lunch with them after our first interaction. They open their house to me and let me bring over my dirty laundry and use their laundry machine. It’s crazy how open and willing people are to take care of others in their community.

 

What have you discovered is your purpose and mission after your time at York? And how did you realize what those were to you? 

Honestly, I'm still trying to figure that out. I came here for basketball and then it wasn’t going as well as I thought it would. I struggled because I felt like basketball was my identity, I kind of had to work on reidentifying myself. I wouldn’t say that I’m entirely lost but I’m trying to figure out what purpose God has for me in this lifetime. During my time as an RA (resident assistant), I feel like I’ve learned that I really enjoy helping people and just talking with everyone. I don’t want to sound conceited but I think I’m a pretty good RA. I've been doing it for a few years now. I like being a resource for people who need help and showing them things and lessons that they might need to be successful, what to do and what not to do by leading by example. I kind of pride myself on that. Overall, I don’t know what God has planned for me yet, but I would assume it’d be something along those lines.

 

What are your plans after you graduate? 

I’ve been thinking about doing a master’s program in linguistics. If that doesn’t happen or if I’m not sure exactly what I want to do, I'm debating joining the military. Later down the road, I’m going to pick up English again and be either a teacher or a substitute for ELA and teach the English language. If that’s not where God leads me, I’ll just go into trade school and pick up a trade. I don’t want to sit down and start a career right out of college. I want to take time to learn everything that I can before I have the rest of my life to work.

 

 

If you could talk to the version of yourself visiting campus for the first time, what would you say?

I would tell him that it’s not as daunting as it may seem. I came from a big city and that change of pace from a big city to York, Nebraska, is actually pretty good. I like the fast life, at the same time, being able to slow down and have a place to just focus on your academics is great. York is the perfect place to narrow your focus because, it sounds cliché, but there’s really nothing else to do here. You can focus on your top priorities and build connections with those around you. I’d also show him around town; take him to La Cocina and get some chips and queso.

 

What is the legacy that you hope to leave behind here at YU?

The legacy I hope to leave is someone who broke stereotypes. I didn’t want to be the typical basketball player or the typical English major. I want to be involved in everything and have a hand in everything that I can. I didn’t want to have a “too cool” attitude here on campus. I want people to remember me by who I am and what I brought. Whether that’s through a conversation or helping them out by putting a maintenance order for their toilet. It doesn’t really matter what they remember just as long as it was positive.