Why?
I am Justin Chen, a student who attends Mt. Hebron High School in Howard County, Maryland. As an Asian-American high school football player who has defied social expectations and has been playing since preschool, I understand the challenge to balance excelling in sports and achieving academic success. Thus, I believe I am in a great position to connect to youth in American Samoa.
On a small island in the South Pacific, seemingly common resources such as computers and textbooks are not a given. Because of this, students are not able to participate in the full experience of modern education. Samoan students, surprisingly, are also at an athletic disadvantage. As seen in the CBS 60 Minutes documentary on Football in American Samoa, these highly productive football high schools cannot even afford proper equipment; most of it cannot even be legally used in the United States due to safety standards. The widespread prevalence of concussion and its repercussions heighten the need for athletic aid. That, precisely, is why I want to help.
First, student-athletes around the country seek the lingering need for a connection between academics and athletics every day. However, many only exhibit and succeed in one aspect; students are always striving for an effective balance. With my athletic background in football and academic pursuits in school, I feel as if I have achieved a status most students strive for every day, and I am proud of it. In American Samoa, numerous football players cannot attend college to continue their dreams because of insufficiencies in academics. I want to eliminate the need for many parents to “escape” American Samoa solely because public education there is not sufficient. Students with a well-known talent in football deserve an education just as impressive.
Second, these students simply do not have access to the same resources I have. Socioeconomic equality is a heavily debated and almost unattainable topic in society. However difficult it may be, I want this project to be that one success. I play the same football games and possess the same goals for my educational balance every day. I experience the same intensity on the football field and the same heartbreak of defeat. I endure through the same barriers in life that hold me back from my full academic and athletic potential. However, I have not and will never experience the same social conditions that my peers in American Samoa go through every day of their lives. Without resources or motivation, students cannot achieve their full characteristic potential. ASFYD aims to develop these student-athletes by directly aiding their high schools through sponsored programs, as outlined below.
Through my experiences as a student athlete and member of a connected community, I understand the need for a proper education and support system. Because of this, I wish to help provide kids like me an equal opportunity to be successful in their studies and activities. Thus, with the help of the local groups, various sponsors and independent contributors who also share my vision for youth development in American Samoa, I have decided to lead a student team and build a platform to reach my goal.
-Justin Chen, President
On a small island in the South Pacific, seemingly common resources such as computers and textbooks are not a given. Because of this, students are not able to participate in the full experience of modern education. Samoan students, surprisingly, are also at an athletic disadvantage. As seen in the CBS 60 Minutes documentary on Football in American Samoa, these highly productive football high schools cannot even afford proper equipment; most of it cannot even be legally used in the United States due to safety standards. The widespread prevalence of concussion and its repercussions heighten the need for athletic aid. That, precisely, is why I want to help.
First, student-athletes around the country seek the lingering need for a connection between academics and athletics every day. However, many only exhibit and succeed in one aspect; students are always striving for an effective balance. With my athletic background in football and academic pursuits in school, I feel as if I have achieved a status most students strive for every day, and I am proud of it. In American Samoa, numerous football players cannot attend college to continue their dreams because of insufficiencies in academics. I want to eliminate the need for many parents to “escape” American Samoa solely because public education there is not sufficient. Students with a well-known talent in football deserve an education just as impressive.
Second, these students simply do not have access to the same resources I have. Socioeconomic equality is a heavily debated and almost unattainable topic in society. However difficult it may be, I want this project to be that one success. I play the same football games and possess the same goals for my educational balance every day. I experience the same intensity on the football field and the same heartbreak of defeat. I endure through the same barriers in life that hold me back from my full academic and athletic potential. However, I have not and will never experience the same social conditions that my peers in American Samoa go through every day of their lives. Without resources or motivation, students cannot achieve their full characteristic potential. ASFYD aims to develop these student-athletes by directly aiding their high schools through sponsored programs, as outlined below.
Through my experiences as a student athlete and member of a connected community, I understand the need for a proper education and support system. Because of this, I wish to help provide kids like me an equal opportunity to be successful in their studies and activities. Thus, with the help of the local groups, various sponsors and independent contributors who also share my vision for youth development in American Samoa, I have decided to lead a student team and build a platform to reach my goal.
-Justin Chen, President
my Mount Hebron Football career
Justin wore #8 as a senior, #52 as a junior, and #77 as a sophomore on the Varsity team.
Protecting against concussions
The American Samoa Foundation for Youth Development puts a great emphasis on the need to balance academics and athletics in a manner that optimizes the success of student athletes. In producing efficacious student athletes, it is paramount to take into account the safety of these athletes. Aspiring Samoan football players often find themselves utilizing worn-out and outdated equipment that is generally ineffective as a means of protection. The rate of concussions sustained by athletes participating in football-related activities is absolutely stunning. In fact, according to McIlvain Marar of the American Journal of Sports Medicine, high school athletes sustain an estimated 300,000 concussions per year. Unacceptably high numbers of athletes are being exposed to brain-related injuries at a young age. This has proven detrimental to the development of the human brain, ultimately resulting in disease of the brain and often death. But even with the most advanced equipment, all concussions cannot be prevented. Therefore, we must provide greater awareness of concussion related symptoms in order to prevent these athletes from entering the field of play until they are sufficiently healthy. Providing a concussion protocol similar to that of the NFL would be extremely beneficial in protecting against “second impact syndrome”, which is the sustaining of another impact without proper healing of the initial injury.
In short, our mission is to provide athletes with the latest technologically updated equipment in order to ensure safety. We also aim to implement concussion awareness programs that establish a concussion protocol that prevents premature entrance to football-related activities.
-Ishan Shah, VP
In short, our mission is to provide athletes with the latest technologically updated equipment in order to ensure safety. We also aim to implement concussion awareness programs that establish a concussion protocol that prevents premature entrance to football-related activities.
-Ishan Shah, VP