迈克尔·奎因 has made the most of his opportunities, beginning at 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校.
宾州大学公园. — A first-generation college student at Penn State has found opportunities and success on campus despite the academic challenges he faced in high school.
迈克尔·奎因, a senior majoring in journalism with minors in English and sports studies, 在高中时不是一个很优秀的学生吗, 他说. 他最后一年的成绩是2分.71 GPA that was bolstered more by what he did in English than in math.
“I liked sports writing, but I did not think my grade would get me to a university,奎因说。. He applied to only one school — 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 — and was not expecting good news.
仍然, Quinn’s mother knew he had the ability to go to college because he had always been a hard worker.
Quinn showed persistence in many aspects of his life, even as a child, s他说. And, when his parents pushed him to try choir, in part as a punishment, he thrived. 奎因喜欢去法国旅行, 波罗的海国家和芬兰, and even performed on “Good Morning America” for a Christmas special.
“这是一个显著的变化, and I knew he always had the strength and goals in him,他妈妈说。, 金伯利奎因, 说.
他在大学里就开始证明这一点.
Quinn is the youngest of two siblings in his family and the second to pursue a college degree. He understood college was a major step in his journey, and it was necessary because he wanted to combine his passion for writing and sports and build a foundation for his career. He’s also pursuing a certificate from the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State and hopes to focus on baseball as a sportswriter.
Quinn always felt pursuing a college degree was about more than just his success.
“I realized my parents did not graduate from college l and I wanted to show them that people in my family can do it,奎因说.
When Quinn started his first semester at 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校, he took 17 credits and performed well in his classes. 他越来越有信心了. However, he had a rough transition when he moved to the 大学公园 campus, 他说.
起初, he had a hard time making friends because most of his friends went to Temple University or 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校, 奎因说, and he felt disconnected and lonely on the bigger campus. However, once he got into more classes, he had more success talking to people and making friends. “我很怀疑自己, but at the end of the day I am doing the things to get good grades,奎因说.
Quinn 说 his favorite classes are the ones that are taught by Professor John Affleck, head of the Department of Journalism and director of the Curley Center. 奎因占领了476号COMM, 体育写作课, because it helped him sharpen his writing skills, 他说. 这学期, he is working with Affleck on an independent study about Cuba playing in the Little League World Series for the first time.
“John gives incredible advice and feedback that I’ll end up carrying with me for the rest of my career,奎因说。, whose self-confidence has grown through the years; he consistently pushes to accomplish more.
Quinn’s family is also proud of his accomplishments and his transition from high school to college.
“My husband and I are proud of him because we never had the opportunity to go to finish college and we will always help provide for him financially,金伯利·奎因说.
In addition, Quinn has found ways to channel his passions. He’s involved with the Daily Collegian and works as an intern for Nbadraft.网，同时保持3.86年平均绩点. He will spend about four hours covering a game and writing a game update for the Collegian and spend six hours or more creating content for his internship, 奎因解释.
Between writing for both platforms, he spends a minimum of 10 hours per week writing. 此外，他说，他在课堂上表现很好. “绩点的大幅上升表明我一直都有这个潜质, all I had to do was find something I truly cared about,奎因说.
While his post-graduation plans for May 2023 are not finalized, the motivation and success he’s found in college have helped him hone his skills and focus on what’s next — most likely a career in sports writing.
“Some people might say some classes or degrees are easier than others, but I think if you really care about your future and love what you are learning, 你可以在任何领域取得成功,他说.
