The Humans of RV project is a weekly column based on Brandon Stanton’s seminal “Humans of New York” project, which seeks to “catalog the city’s inhabitants” through photography and brief interviews. RV seeks to expand on this project with our own “cataloging” of RV students and an examination into all the unique perspectives here at school. 

Note: this transcript has been edited and condensed for publication purposes.

I am a senior at RV who will be leaving soon to begin a new chapter in my life at Clarion University. Since I was eight years old, this has been my dream and goal. I also want to play in Major League Baseball, but I’m fine if I don’t get in.

At the age of five, I began my baseball career by playing T-Ball. I began playing real baseball when I was seven years old. Baseball has been my life since then. I have taken private lessons and have tried my very best at it. For the last ten years, from the age of seven to seventeen, I have been playing travel baseball and I have been playing for Pro Skills since I was nine. It was technically 18-U baseball that I played from that age. 

I’m currently a pitcher, but I’ve played every position on the field as I’ve grown. I currently play for a travel team and have played for RV since freshman year. Last season, I was a first-team conference pitcher, which is a fantastic milestone for me. Being an RV student as well as a baseball player has been incredible. I have had the greatest experience of high school baseball, playing it is a different experience than travel baseball. In high school baseball, you get to play with and get coached by the people you see every day at your school. I will really miss all my amazing coaches and the great team that I have been a part of for the past four years. 

Every day, playing baseball has made me a better person. It is my source of motivation for almost everything. I am a hardworking student and employee at Wawa. My dedication to school and work stems from the values I learned while playing baseball. I believe it is all about being a great sport. Baseball is a sport of failure, you have to put in a lot of effort to stay in it, and being on a team has taught me so much. Furthermore, being able to collaborate with the people on my team improves my life. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for baseball, or have such a good life. I would also not receive the same level of respect that I do now. I am a role model for younger kids and liked by many people my age due to the fact that I am a baseball player. I am really happy to have that title.

I come from a baseball family. My older brother, Brandan, is now a sophomore in college and has signed to play baseball for the college. One of my younger brothers also plays baseball. My family has pushed me to become the person I am today. My mom pushed me to do well in school and cheered me on during games. My older brother and I honestly don’t get along. But, in essence, he is my hero. He pushes me in his own particular way. But my true hero is Jack Leiter. He currently pitches for the Texas Rangers and every time I pitch, I envision him.  He attended the best baseball colleges and is now a professional. I am hoping to get to his level. 

Baseball is a sport of failure, so if you succeed three out of ten times, you are essentially a Hall of Famer. Not everyone is going to succeed in baseball, and that is why at an early age, a lot of people quit. On the other hand, other people find success at an early age, which is why they continue to grow.

I’ve learned so much, met so many people, persevered so many times, failed and succeeded and become who I am because of baseball. I will truly miss the high school environment. Playing for a college team as an adult will be vastly different. But I am eager to dive into this new world. I’ll be in Western Pennsylvania, which will be a completely different environment for me and I will get to meet so many new people. But, no matter what, I will continue to hold the title of a student-athlete.