Competing to compete: The rise of Oakland student athletes

Some athletes have a strong passion for their sport, and play it recreationally. Others play their sports because they rely on them to escape the stress of their daily life. And still thers depend on their performance to land them an athletic scholarship, and compete within the Oakland Athletic League hoping to get recruited to college teams and compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association level.

In this series, three Oakland student athletes spoke about what brings them to the field, the court and the bowling lane, and take you through their life journey and the sports they have grown to love.

Ronald Jenkins is a senior football player at Skyline High School, and is focused on earning a Division 1 athletic scholarship to play football and help him pay his way through school. He is focusing on Howard University, Eastern Washington, University of California, Davis, and Sacramento State University. Click here to read his story and see a video.

Hannah Hoang is a junior and a volleyball player at Oakland Senior High School. Her goal is to play volleyball in college. She is unsure where, and which division, but knows that she will keep playing, whether it is recreationally or competitively. She currently has her eyes set on the University of California school system. Click here to read her story and see a video.

Benton Lu is a junior at Oakland Senior High School, and he is currently on the bowling team. His aspirations are to attend the University of California, Davis, and eventually have a career in business. Bowling has been a huge part of Benton’s life, and hopes to remain active in it when he moves onto college. Click here to read his story and see a video.