Sean Means is a young man with dreams, aspirations, and the unrelenting determination and tenacity to obtain all that he desires. Born in Nashville, Tennessee to a single mother of limited means, Sean has taken the conditions he was born into and has created for himself a path to success. The eldest of three, Sean has taken on the mantle of protector and caregiver for his younger siblings. While his mother has worked hard to provide for him and his siblings, it has been Sean’s role to help out wherever he can, from washing clothes and making lunch to tutoring and editing papers. While at times the pressure to provide and to assist has become overwhelming, Sean has persevered, all with the hope of a better life for himself and those around him.
Since Kindergarten it has been Sean’s dream to attend college and make a life for himself. With his eyes on the prize, Sean has maintained a 4.66 GPA throughout high school, while at the same time participating in both football and wrestling along with a plethora of other activities including Model UN, Latin Club, and debate. Sean’s relentless effort in both his academic and extracurricular activities has paid off with his garnering a seat in his graduating class’s top ten along with capturing a spot on the Virginia AAA All- State Football Second Team and qualifying for Nationals in debate during the 2013-2014 season.
Yet with all of Sean’s success, his focus has not just been on himself. Just as he was taught years ago, Sean has taken the imitative to help others succeed in life. Through his church youth group and his school’s honor society programs, Sean has extended his influence to countless others, whether through simply tutoring a student in math, helping his classmates find and apply for scholarships, or volunteering during the summer to repair the homes of the elderly. Sean has set out to “be the change he wishes to see in the world,” the wise words inscribed on a button that he holds dear.
Sean is known around his school and community for his leadership and his compassion. Even before becoming a captain on his school’s football and wrestling teams, Sean encouraged his teammates and guided them both on and off the field, helping them remember plays on the field and formulas in the classroom. Moreover, in the forum of academia, Sean became a member of his school Student Advisory Council with the hope of working with administration to better meet the needs of the student body. In a school of a little more than a thousand, Sean has stood out as a man of exceptional leadership but also a man of great humility.
While Sean has gained success in his life, he attributes it to his strong-willed mother and his Christian upbringing. Sean hopes to major in international affairs and later gain his J.D., so that he may use legal knowledge to right injustice.
