NFL STAROn Why He Gives Back
Architects of Change
Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland Raiders Cornerback & Founder, ACTS
Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha is the highest paid defensive back in NFL history. He's also committed to giving back. Here, he tells us why he started his organization, Asomugha College Tour for Scholars, which allows him to take inner city students on college tours -- opening their eyes to the world of possibility afforded by education.
How did you, a star football player, find yourself taking underprivileged kids on college tours across the country?
When I was younger, I sometimes saw education as an impediment to fun -- to playing, to going to the basketball court. But education was something that my siblings and I were raised on, going back to where my parents are from in Nigeria.
As I got older, I started to see people who didn’t have the same stress on education in their home, and how that would set someone back. It made me want to help. So I started helping my peers in high school.
I want everyone to have the same opportunity. So I thought, “How can I help get people on the same level?” That was how I became inspired to start the Asomugha College Tour for Scholars(ACTS).
The other half of what motivated me to start the tours was my love of travel. I’ve always had an affinity for seeing different places, different cultures. (When I was young we’d go back to Nigeria almost every other year.) I thought, ”How can I put traveling and giving back together – not only for the people I help, but also for me?”
What are the tours like?
They’re not just about showing the students colleges. Sometimes we’ll go to a basket ball game or a Broadway play. There are so many different ways to give the students the sense that there is more out there than just the little area that they live in.
I think this year we’re going to start a scholarship program. When you look at these underserved communities, the kids can get into school – but do they actually have the money to go?
Has anything surprised you about the students who have gone on these trips with you?
The thing that stands out for me is how focused these kids are. These are children from underserved communities who have wonderful GPAs; it’s this anomaly. So you know that each
When I was younger, I sometimes saw education as an impediment to fun -- to playing, to going to the basketball court. But education was something that my siblings and I were raised on, going back to where my parents are from in Nigeria.
As I got older, I started to see people who didn’t have the same stress on education in their home, and how that would set someone back. It made me want to help. So I started helping my peers in high school.
I want everyone to have the same opportunity. So I thought, “How can I help get people on the same level?” That was how I became inspired to start the Asomugha College Tour for Scholars(ACTS).
The other half of what motivated me to start the tours was my love of travel. I’ve always had an affinity for seeing different places, different cultures. (When I was young we’d go back to Nigeria almost every other year.) I thought, ”How can I put traveling and giving back together – not only for the people I help, but also for me?”
What are the tours like?
They’re not just about showing the students colleges. Sometimes we’ll go to a basket ball game or a Broadway play. There are so many different ways to give the students the sense that there is more out there than just the little area that they live in.
I think this year we’re going to start a scholarship program. When you look at these underserved communities, the kids can get into school – but do they actually have the money to go?
Has anything surprised you about the students who have gone on these trips with you?
The thing that stands out for me is how focused these kids are. These are children from underserved communities who have wonderful GPAs; it’s this anomaly. So you know that each