Episode 36: Senior Chapel Talks by Oluwatomike Falebita and Cody Trevino '19

Oluwatomike “Tomike” Falebita described herself as a people pleaser during her #SeniorChapelTalk. She would do anything to help other people feel better and felt tremendous guilt if she let anyone down. When she came to TMI in the 9th grade as a boarding student, she felt alone and desperate to avoid the challenges of a new school and new environment. But, one comment from her parents during that freshman year, gave her a new perspective. They told her that she had to live her own life, for herself. This one statement allowed her to look at things differently and face her challenges head on; she was ready to seize the opportunities right in front of her. Pay attention to yourself and your own needs, she said to the community, “you are worth it.”

During his freshman year at TMI, Cody Trevino’s older brother signed to play football with Trinity University. That is when, he told the TMI community during his #SeniorChapelTalk, he set his goal to play one more year of football with his brother in college. For the past three years, he’s been preparing for this goal by working harder on his grades and training more on the field, knowing that his competition might be bigger, stronger, or faster. Then, during this past summer, he received a call from one of the Trinity University coaches who told him he’d been asked to make an early commitment decision and sign on as a Tiger. “Picture your dream,” he said, “work hard to accomplish it, and don’t let setbacks keep you down. My brother is still currently a running back at Trinity and I realize I may not get much playing time my first year, but I will finally have achieved my dream of playing on the same team as my best friend.”