Laken Tomlinson: From Jamaica with Motivation
Laken Tomlinson grew up in a country where the word “football” refers to the sport played in the World Cup and where the most beloved athlete is a sprinter.
For a 10-year-old Tomlinson from Jamaica, American football was simply a foreign sport in a foreign land. Then his family packed up and moved to Illinois where he suddenly became the most untapped athletic prodigy in his midwestern town.
His mother, in an attempt to keep him busy and out of trouble, convinced him to put his oversized frame to work on the gridiron. Eventually, Tomlinson became one of the most prized recruits in college football on both sides of the ball.
Tomlinson was so far removed from the typical trajectory for college-bound football players that when colleges started coming to watch his games and offering him scholarships, he didn’t even know what that meant.
"I was like, 'Sure, I'm not sure what that is,'" Tomlinson recalled telling the schools. "And then when they mentioned that your mom wouldn't have to pay for college, I was like, 'Oh wow, that's actually a big thing.' I went along with it. Loved the game. There's nothing that would stop me from playing the game. But being able to go to college for free is definitely a big thing."
And while traditional college powerhouses like Ohio State and Tennessee came knocking on his door, Tomlinson ended up choosing to attend Duke University because it offered him the best of both worlds: high caliber football in a powerful ACC conference along with a prestigious degree to assist him in his future pursuit to become a doctor.
Laken’s high school coach Rich Rio knew that Duke was the right choice for his star player, “He chose Duke because he liked the school academically,” Rio said. “It fits him in what he would like to do down the road, to be a doctor, and he loved his official visit.”
Now, four years later, Tomlinson is one of the best linemen in the country and is a potential first round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Still, for all of Tomlinson’s triumphs on the football field, he remains equally motivated to see his dreams in the medical field come true as well. He’s been named to the ACC’s All-Academic team for three straight seasons and has maintained a GPA in the high 3s while double majoring in psychology and evolutionary anthropology.
Tomlinson recognizes and appreciates the decade-long journey he’s made from his impoverished town of Westmoreland, Jamaica to North Carolina. Now, he remains thankful and motivated for even greater things in the future.
"But right now I have this wonderful opportunity. I'm going to a great college for free and getting a wonderful education, and I should just be thankful to my grandparents and most thankful to God for giving me this opportunity."
~ Laken Tomlinson