Brian Crosby
My name is Brian Crosby. I am a 2015 graduate of Brookdale Community College in Lincroft. I obtained my associates degree in business administration in a total of 4 years of attending Brookdale. During my final year I had the honor to play basketball for Coach Cisek and I can say it made my entire school career that much more memorable.
I was accepted to attend Montclair State University to study finance and to play basketball under new head coach Marlon Sears. I couldn’t be more grateful. I was so excited to start this new adventure and have fun along the way. However, in the beginning of the 2015 school year I had no idea how I was going to pay for college. With the support of family and friends, many part time jobs and saving hard, I enrolled for my first year although money was still tight back home. I had a long talk with my Dad, who told me, “Don’t worry. We will find a way to make it happen, just get started and we’ll figure it out.”
In my first month at Montclair State, on September 24, 2015, my Dad was killed in a demolition roof collapse construction accident. I lost my father, my anchor, my rock, my role model and my biggest cheerleader on that day. I miss my Dad every day. Sometimes I have been so sad; it’s hard to see the future without him. It has felt empty without my Dad. It was, and remains, really a rough time, but with the support of my family, my teammates, and many good friends, I managed to finish last year at Montclair, and I think I am coming back stronger for 2016.
I am using the memory of my Dad to make myself stronger. I know that he is looking down upon me, giving me guidance from above, knowing that I will “find a way” to complete my bachelor’s degree. Dad always coached me to have the right stuff - the values to succeed both on and off the basketball court. Dad, I will not let you down, I promise.
After Montclair I plan on either getting a job in the city or even opening my own business. The sky is the limit. This scholarship is a great financial help to me. It also demonstrates that there are a lot of people that are willing to help in times of need. Thank you to Ashley Pepka from Kids’ Chance of NJ for reaching out to my brothers and me and making us aware of this scholarship. I want to honor my Dad – Raymond Crosby, help my Mom - Laura, and make her proud, and set a good example for my two younger brothers, Stephen and Andrew. Thank you very much to Kids’ Chance of New Jersey for your generosity for this very needed scholarship.
I appreciate your confidence in me and will do my very best to finish strong at Montclair State, knowing that there are lot of people supporting me and rooting for my on-going success.