Van Brooks
I was a three-sport athlete who developed my love for football at the age of seven. Like a lot of kids from Baltimore City, I wanted to be a professional athlete. It wasn't until high school that I realized the real potential I had and the success I could achieve. This was also when I realized how close I was getting to playing football on a collegiate level and how this could transform my life’s trajectory. This change however came in a way I least expected. On September 25, 2004, at the age of sixteen, while attempting to make a routine tackle I broke my neck. As a result of this injury, I was initially paralyzed from the neck down, unable to talk, eat or feel.
In spite of this, I refused to let that prevent me from achieving my goals. I went on to graduate from Loyola Blakefield and later from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications; all the while still working hard at therapy. I finally saw the hard work and dedication pay off after eight years of intense physical therapy. On September 27, 2012, I can say I walked again. Since then, I've founded a non-profit Safe Alternative Foundation for Education and the SAFE Center youth facility. Additionally, I was appointed by Maryland's Governor Larry Hogan in 2017 to lead the Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism.
