As an admissions officer at a university, the students I work with continually amaze me and help keep me going through the long, exhaustive admissions season. I thought of a particular student the other day who did just that. I’ll call him Sean.

I met Sean at his high school, where he was introduced to me by his counseling staff. I sat down with him one-on-one and we discussed his personal situation. There were concerns about his curriculum not meeting the standard admission requirements at my university, so I asked him if he thought that he was academically prepared to withstand the rigors of college. I remember him looking me in the eye and telling me that he had overcome a lot in his life.

One of nine children in his family, Sean grew up living with his father who was unemployed and had a GED. His mother dropped out of high school and was homeless — he saw her about once a month. His older brother was in jail and only one of Sean’s older siblings had finished high school. Sean would be the first person in his family to enroll in a four-year university. In high school he had bouts with alcohol and recreational drug use, and went through a stint in rehab. Having only attended 10 and a half days of his freshman year of high school, he had a long, uphill battle to even meet his high school graduation requirements, let alone prepare for the challenges of college.

There had been a lot working against Sean his entire life, and I left our conversation inspired by him as a person. In a few months time, Sean would be celebrating his first anniversary of sobriety. I wanted Sean to be a part of our freshman class, but at the same time I had doubts about whether it was the right environment for him or not. After returning to the office, I worked with a few colleagues and did something a little off the cuff. I set Sean up to be denied.

In our regular review process, Sean’s records wouldn’t get past the initial evaluation. I told Sean and his counselor that I wanted him to go through our appeals committee, which required a lot more work and for him to supply us with much more personal information. He had to show me, his counselors and his family that he wanted to be here. Sean rightfully had a lot of questions and after a brief waiting period his application file eventually went before the appeals committee.

By coincidence, I was in his hometown for another event and I made a call to the office to find out Sean’s fate. And that’s where everything fell into place. I contacted his counselor and we staged an impromptu event without Sean’s knowledge. I traveled to his school and, in front of his peers — all of whom knew a decision was coming — I personally delivered the news. I printed his official letter using his counselor’s computer and Sean, opening the letter in front of his class, found out that he had been admitted to the university. It was at that moment that I think he realized that all of his work and efforts had paid off.

In my six years of experience in the field, Sean remains the only student to whom I’ve ever hand-delivered an admissions letter. It took a team of people in Sean’s high school and in my office, as well as an overarching belief in the power of education, to make everything happen. But everything truly rested with Sean himself. That day I told Sean that he had a fire in him and that many things, many people and many events had tried in his past, and will try in his future, to put that fire out. But as long as there’s hope, that fire will burn bright.

Sean started his freshman year at the university this past fall and has been adjusting to the college lifestyle. We meet from time to time and despite having a few bumps in the road, he continues to push forward. I admire his strength and persistence, and he is a reminder to students and educators everywhere that in those times of doubt, uncertainty and adjustments, you need to remember what you’re fighting for.

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