At BSU Convocation, Dior Ginyard (’11) Inspires Students to Find Strength to Achieve Success

New Freshman Students Officially Inducted into BSU Community

MEDIA CONTACT: Damita Chambers, dchambers@bowiestate.edu, 301-832-2628 mobile

(BOWIE, Md.) – Bowie State University graduate Dior Ginyard ('11) urged new students to find the strength to overcome obstacles to achieve greatness during his keynote address at the Fall Matriculation Convocation, sharing with them his battle back to health after a traumatic brain injury. 

A 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Ginyard works with current NFL players to help prepare them for life after football as a senior player manager with the NFL Players Association. But he did not always envision that his life would turn out like that.

Quoting a recent Nike slogan, “It’s only a crazy dream until you do it,” Ginyard described his journey from wanting to play in the NFL to working with NFL players to prepare them for life after football. After he experienced a severe brain injury while playing football with friends, he spent months in recovery. 

“It’s very easy at the crossroads of life to use all the negative connotations to say to yourself, ‘I’m not going to be anything. Look what the world says about someone like me,’” said Ginyard. “I had to come to a point in life to I had to accept what got me here. I knew that my dream of making it to the NFL was gone, but I had the opportunity to write a new chapter in my life.”

He used his personal tragedy to motivate himself to continue to pursue his education and create new dreams for success. After transferring to Bowie State, Ginyard applied himself to his studies, eventually achieving his new dream and finding success working with NFL players.

As part of the traditional Fall Matriculation Convocation program, the new freshman class processed into the ceremony to be formally inducted into the university community. The new class of student leaders also complete their oath of service. In his remarks, Student Government Association Vice President Corey Fenyo provided a message of inspiration to the freshman class to encourage them to expect challenges and to continue to find the courage to succeed.

“The only thing in the universe that remains the same is change,” he said. “Those who adapt persevere. Those who do not merely fade away.”
 

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, criminal justice, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit www.bowiestate.edu.