The beginning of my first year of college was tough. It was the usual, being in a place where I’ve never been, trying to fit in with other people I’ve never seen before, wondering if I made the right choice in choosing a college, and figuring out how to get good grades while juggling much more work than I ever had to do in high school. English was especially the worst. I always considered myself an okay writer, but I never had to think about or put anything personal on paper before. Especially for something that was going to count as 15% of my grade. Our first assignment was to write a narrative essay about some sort of experience that had changed your life. I mean I had many, but I had nothing I was comfortable writing about. After awhile, I just decided to write about my first ever experience at Yankee Stadium when I was 10 years old. I gave as vivid detail as I could, detailing the first time I heard Bob Sheppard’s voice outside the Stadium, what my first Stadium pretzel tasted like, and how the slow walk down the ramp towards what was one of the most beautiful sights I could ever see, from the massive upper deck above me, to the bright green grass below me, felt. Those people who said it weren’t lying, it literally does give you chills. Just everything surrounding it, from the crowd, to seeing these players and this place that I’ve only seen on a TV or heard on a radio previously, was amazing. I also talked about how growing up with the 90s dynasty teams really was one the greatest experiences a kid could have, especially when I was able to share that with my family. A week later I got my paper back, and it turned out that I got the highest grade in the class. My professor also told me I was a really good writer and I should do some writing outside of school. At that point I finally became comfortable in the realm of college, and it’s all thanks to the Yankees. Because since then, it's opened me up to just being myself in my writing, something that has helped me be successful so far in my college life. Oh, and being called by everybody, both professors and friends, "the big Yankees fan," doesn't hurt either.
- Andrew Devereaux
For being the October winner of the 1999 World Series contest, Andrew will receive this Paul O'Neill 5-time World Series Champion autographed baseball with card holder. Congratulations, Andrew!
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