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Every Great Player Needs an Awesome Coach: A UCLA Bruin Story

By Jennifer Mishory

UCLA Football
by Flickr user flockwood

This fall has been a fun time to be a UCLA Bruin.  Just the other week we beat our cross-town rivals USC.  This epic game reminded me that the sweet glory of a monumental victory could help a fan overcome several years of bitter disappointment.  And while we barely lostthe Pac-12 championship on Friday, a close game like that would have been unthinkable in recent years. Despite having talented players ready to bleed blue and gold, the Bruins have had a difficult journey up until this point.

What made this year different than previous years?

Of course this year’s team is great, but I have to tip my hat to the new coach, Jim Mora, Jr., who has turned UCLA football around. Even with the drive, the dedication, and the will, if you don’t have a solid guide, you often end up off track (see last season’s 6-8 record). Mora’s smart coaching and intense training regimen steered us in the right direction.

So what does this have to do with the work at Young Invincibles?

Mora’s success demonstrates why we at Young Invincibles believe in the importance of a good coach.  I could be biased since I spent 4 years of wonderful learning at UCLA, but alumna status aside, everyone needs a good coach or a counselor, whether you’re a football player or interested in studying chemistry.  Like a good coach, a counselor is someone who sees your potential and helps you to reach your full potential, who can:

  • Help you play to your strengths when applying for college while improving on your weaknesses;
  • Guide you through which schools you should attend and accurately gauge how fast you can make it down the field (graduation) … or how slowly you need to walk through your college options;
  • Tell you whether you need a helping hand on that financial aid process or how far you can kick that metaphoric field goal on your own.

That’s why YI wants more school counselors across the country and to train more of them in college readiness. We have also called for more AmeriCorps positions for young people to coach high schools kids on college and career decisions.  Students tell us time and again: they need more guidance in choosing what kind of education they need to achieve their goals, and how navigate their way down that chosen path.

“I didn’t want to go to a place where I felt like it was just a stop along the way,” Mora told ESPN recently. “I wanted to go to a place where I knew I could … have an impact …”

Imagine if every high school senior or college freshman had that kind of coach.