For many high school students with college aspirations, attaining just one scholarship can be hard.
But Jacob Goad aced the challenge. The recent Plant City High graduate has been awarded more than 12 scholarships.
One of those awards is the 2013 Student Leaders Award, a national initiative by Bank of America to provide youth with the opportunity to learn while working at a non-profit organization. Goad has been working with the Boys and Girls Club in Tampa and Plant City.
Goad was chosen from more than 100 applicants to become one of 10 in the Tampa Bay area to receive the award.
The former football player was thrilled to learn he earned the Bank of America scholarship, specifically because he loved working with kids. Since eighth-grade, Goad has been volunteering with the Special Olympics in Plant City. A family friend and teacher at his school knew Goad played baseball. She asked him if he’d want to volunteer with the Special Olympics softball team.
“I had never been around (special-needs) kids,” Goad said. “So I was kind of scared. But the first day I went out there, I fell in love with it.”
He recruited his family to help with the organization. Now, he’s not limited to just softball, but helps out with the basketball, soccer and volleyball teams as well. His basketball team has been so successful that they will travel to New Jersey next summer to go to nationals.
“A couple of words describe Jacob, and one is commitment,” said Ann Shaler, senior vice president and Tampa Bay market manager for Bank of America. “He took his passion and talent in sports and found a way to leverage it to community service.”
Goad has devoted more than 650 hours to the Special Olympics program. This summer, he will tally 320 for the Boys and Girls Club.
When he started the program, the first step was to visit to the Tampa Boys and Girls Club for two weeks of training to learn the business side.
“It was kind of different,” Goad said. “There was a lot more paperwork than I expected.”
During training, Goad took classes that every employee undergoes. The class topics ranged from child negligence to game rooms.
“The classes really pump you up to get into the club working with kids,” Goad said.
Now, Goad is working at the Plant City Boys and Girls Club. The internship lasts eight weeks, at 35 hours per week.
Another perk is a trip to Washington, D.C., where about 220 Bank of America Leadership winners will be taking a tour of the capital and meeting members of Congress.
“The energy and optimism that overflows from that room is unbelievable,” Shaler said of the trip. “I walk away with a renewed sense of what young people can do.”
Never going north of South Carolina or even flying on a plane, Goad is looking forward to the trip.
“I’m not a big history person or places person,” Goad said. “But some of the stuff we’re doing is very interesting.”
Goad will be attending Hillsborough Community College in the fall.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.