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idea what that meant or where to begin , so the coach promised to research it on his behalf . It was nearing the end of summer and Henry was preparing to start school at William Penn when he received the call from Sanford informing him he ’ d be able to attend with a scholarship and
Henry ’ s happiness hinged only on how hard he was willing to work for it .
financial aid . Henry nervously accepted the invitation and prepared to start school , though he was severely behind in his studies .
To get to Sanford , Henry would take the 4:00 am DART bus from New Castle to Rodney Square in Wilmington , then transfer buses to get to Hockessin . He ’ d arrive at school by 7:00 am . Any other bus schedule would have made him late . He then wouldn ’ t get back home until 10:00 pm during wrestling season . The curriculum was difficult already , and given Henry ’ s intermittent childhood education it took several hours for Henry to complete his school work . All the while , tensions continued to rise between him and his aunt and uncle .
Henry found himself at a crossroads . He sat alone in his room thinking about his current situation . Lacking sleep and emotional support at home , school was all but impossible . He found himself struggling to keep up with his peers academically . He felt his family resented his good fortune through his hard work . He loved wrestling , but was it enough to continue on his path ?
A fleeting thought of surrender entered Henry ’ s mind . “ What would that look like ?” he wondered . He could find work , help support his family . But what would that solve ? He ’ d spend his life struggling to stay afloat and unfulfilled . Henry ’ s whole life had been a struggle , maybe that ’ s the way his life was supposed to turn out . He ’ d come to America with nothing but his aunt and uncle , cousins and sister , and he ’ d felt that he ’ d even lost that . He ’ d lost his home , his biological parents , and nearly himself .
That ’ s when his most powerful realization happened . The only person he could depend on was himself . At rock bottom , Henry consciously decided that if all he had was him , then he would do what he needed to do to take care of himself . He would take responsibility for his future and do all that he could to make that future bright . Henry ’ s happiness hinged only on how hard he was willing to work for it .
Now in tenth grade , he talked to a friend from the wrestling team , his coach ’ s son , and asked if there was any way he could rent a room in his home . He promised to do housework and work during the summers to pay rent and earn his keep . His friend ’ s family agreed , and that ’ s exactly what Henry did . He worked hard at school , and just as he promised , his summers were spent working . Henry continued this through graduation . After Henry moved
If I can stay in shape , stay physically fit , then I can be sure that I ’ ll stay healthy and be the best me possible .
out , his relationship with his aunt and uncle had become essentially non-existent , though he maintained contact with his sister .
Henry went to a private college in Pennsylvania and worked to provide for himself while maintaining his studies . Then his freshman year , something incredible happened . He received word that his biological parents were alive , though his father was very ill . Henry worked around the clock to save up enough money to fly to Sierra Leone and visit his family .
He spent time getting to know his father and reuniting with his family , a dream come true . Henry had gone to Sierra Leone with a suitcase , but he came home barefoot and with none of his belongings . He ’ d left everything he had there for his family . That is the epitome of Henry Tucker .
Henry is a man whose smile lights up a room . Henry is a man whose unfaltering optimism is contagious . Henry is a man who has been to the depths of despair , but will
CHALLENGE AFTER CHALLENGE Henry is constantly challenging himself to achieve bigger things . He competed in the October 22nd Spartan Race last year as well as the BUD / S challenge for the 2017 Frozen Frogman . He hadn ’ t had previous swim training , but the BUD / S included a 500 yard swim . Henry trained for the entire month prior to the race and successfully completed the task in the pool .
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