With the simple act of putting pen to paper Eastridge High School senior Alex Officer made a dream a reality.
On February 6 with his mother, Alivia Gaskins and brother, Jerome Lewis at his side he signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Pittsburgh on a football scholarship. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work and the beginning of the next chapter of his life.
“Today was not just about me, it was about the school and the whole East Irondequoit community because without them none of this would have been possible.”
Alex went on to thank a lot of people during the ceremony but being able to share the moment with his mother made it even more special.
“My mom is a single parent, and she has worked so hard to make sure that I have a great future, she’s given me the right tools to be successful in life so this is basically me giving back to her. Whatever I accomplish is also for her. It means a lot to me to show her that her hard work isn’t going to waste.”
Alex put in some great performances on the field, but also had to perform well in the classroom in order to make attending Pitt possible. There were also countless hours spent in the gym so that he would be able to compete with the best.
“The hard work offseason and outside of school really helps because you can’t just be better than your teammates, you have to be better than kids from all across the country because at the end of the day those are the kids you are competing against. That extra work you put in is really going to help you in the future.”
That extra work was something that never went unnoticed by Eastridge head Coach Chad green.
"Alex has the physical attributes to be a Division 1 football player...but more importantly understands what it takes to be a Division 1 athlete. He works hard in the classroom and on the field. I am proud to be his coach and I wish him nothing but the best at Pitt."
Getting the scholarship was the crowning achievement to what had been a great year for Alex and the rest of the Lancer football team. They picked up a sectional title for the first time since 2004, something this group of seniors seemed determined to do, and something that means a great deal to Alex.
With the simple act of putting pen to paper Eastridge High School senior Alex Officer made a dream a reality.
On February 6 with his mother, Alivia Gaskins and brother, Jerome Lewis at his side he signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Pittsburgh on a football scholarship. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work and the beginning of the next chapter of his life.
“Today was not just about me, it was about the school and the whole East Irondequoit community because without them none of this would have been possible.”
Alex went on to thank a lot of people during the ceremony but being able to share the moment with his mother made it even more special.
“My mom is a single parent, and she has worked so hard to make sure that I have a great future, she’s given me the right tools to be successful in life so this is basically me giving back to her. Whatever I accomplish is also for her. It means a lot to me to show her that her hard work isn’t going to waste.”
Alex put in some great performances on the field, but also had to perform well in the classroom in order to make attending Pitt possible. There were also countless hours spent in the gym so that he would be able to compete with the best.
“The hard work offseason and outside of school really helps because you can’t just be better than your teammates, you have to be better than kids from all across the country because at the end of the day those are the kids you are competing against. That extra work you put in is really going to help you in the future.”
That extra work was something that never went unnoticed by Eastridge head Coach Chad green.
"Alex has the physical attributes to be a Division 1 football player...but more importantly understands what it takes to be a Division 1 athlete. He works hard in the classroom and on the field. I am proud to be his coach and I wish him nothing but the best at Pitt."
Getting the scholarship was the crowning achievement to what had been a great year for Alex and the rest of the Lancer football team. They picked up a sectional title for the first time since 2004, something this group of seniors seemed determined to do, and something that means a great deal to Alex.
“To finally win that for me and my team is the greatest accomplishment I’ve had so far. It really means a lot to me because I did it with my friends and my team.”
Picking which college to attend was a long and sometimes difficult process. Alex received offers from a number of schools including Syracuse, Louisville and others; but after making his official visit he knew where he was headed.
“Pitt is a great university-great location. All the coaches there are great, they’re really genuine people I know I can talk to them when I need to they’re going to be there for me. It wasn’t a hard choice.”
Alex hasn’t decided on a major yet but is leaning towards engineering. It seems like a logical choice considering he’s already built something pretty special for himself.
