Rice - heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings

PROMPT: The quality of Rice's academic life and the Residential College System are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What personal perspective would you contribute to life at Rice? (500 word limit)

Rice Perspective Essay

I don't Belong in my sport. At least that's what I've been told.

My sport is Tennis, The sport of kings. The sport for the elite and nobles of the Victorian era and a sport almost completely devoid of people who look like me: Black.

As a black tennis player, I exist on the peripheries of "Black" sports. I put quotations around black now, but growing up my ideas of being black were intertwined with sports like Basketball and Football. Black players pervaded almost every position on the basketball court and seemingly every white line on the football field. For tennis, however, I was lucky to find a black face in the crowd let alone on the court itself. It was hard for me not to create the connection.

I found myself in a dichotomy between my passion and identity. I could either choose my blackness but reject the sport I love or I could choose my rackets, but deny the black hand that gripped them. As my melanin levels weren't dropping anytime soon It seemed as if my choice was clear. That was until I found a third option in Arthur Ashe.

Arthur Ashe was a black player who dominated the tennis sphere in the '70s. He was good. I mean very good. His serve was like that of a laser, striking and powerful, leaving only neon peach fuzz in its wake and giving his opponents little time to react. His groundstrokes were methodical and precise as he placed the ball in just the right place and time to end the point. His volleys were versatile allowing for him to lightly pad the ball over the net or send it flying away with a swift attack.

I was enthralled by him. Tennis to him wasn't something to be ashamed about, it was something to be proud of. It was a passion he pursued endlessly and unapologetically. It was as if being black didn't matter to him. When watching him I felt inspired. With each video, I felt my love for tennis bursting out of the seams of my shame. Suddenly my perception of Tennis changed.

Now when I play tennis, I play so with the mindset of Arthur. Walking out on to the tennis courts, and being the only black face in a crowd now becomes a source of pride. When I walk on the court, I no longer feel the need to leave my blackness along with it, as I know that it's what makes me unique.

While It may have been a struggle to accept all aspects of me, at Rice I plan to make sure that doesn't have to be an option. At Rice I will give the perspective of a third option. When it seems that I, or someone else, is struck by a rigid dichotomy I will make it my mission to find a third option, and if I cant find it, make one, just as Arthur Ashe was that option to me.

Jason, you misdirected the focus of the essay when you brought in the discussion of Arthur Ashe as a tennis player and influence in your life. He actually became the focal point of the discussion, which doesn't do you any good because it doesn't show a clear perspective, from your point of view that you can bring to Rice. I strongly urge you to remove the reference to Ashe in the essay and instead, discuss how being a Black tennis player has helped you develop a unique mindset, not about the sport, but about life in general and how you should deal with the world around you because of your unique identity. This is the most important aspect of this essay and this is what the reviewer wants to know about you. He doesn't care about Arthur Ashe, he cares about Jason Fellows. He wants to know about you and what makes you unique. More importantly, he needs to learn how your uniqueness can add to the diversity of the Rice student community. That is why you are being asked this question. You must revise the essay to reflect this information, without help coming from someone you idolize. That changes the discussion slant and lessens the impact of who you are and what you can bring to Rice as a member of the community.