Passion or Money
For five years, Brandon has been the spotlight of his college English class. He spent time writing poems, short stories, and about every other type of literature. You would think that’s why he came to Texas Tech University, but Brandon had other plans. In high school Brandon was the captain of the baseball, basketball and football teams. “I am a leader. I like being in a spot where I’m comfortable,” Brandon said in a high school interview. Brandon had come to Texas Tech with hopes of being a college or NFL coach but Professor Lewis had other plans.

“Brandon, you have so much potential in writing, and you enjoy it so much,” Professor Lewis said. Brandon and Mr. Lewis were talking after class one day in Mr. Lewis’ classroom. Professor Lewis had grown to be Brandon’s “dad.” Right before Brandon left for Tech his dad died in a car accident. When Mr. Lewis recognized Brandon’s writing talents, he encouraged him to write more. “It gives you something to think about,” Mr. Lewis said. “It gets your mind away from your dad’s death.”


Brandon had grown up without a mom, so when Brandon had a question or had trouble with anything he would rely on his dad for help. Brandon grew up around football watching his dad coach and teach, and they would spend weekends watching college and NFL football. Brandon’s dad had followed his childhood dream of becoming a coach and so he encouraged Brandon to do the same. He wanted Brandon to follow in his footsteps.
However, now Brandon has a huge decision to make. He was getting offers from Division 1 college football teams and one NFL team. Brandon loved writing. Brandon was always relaxed when writing. If Brandon let football go, he felt like he was letting go of his dad’s life too. “Passion or money?” Mr. Lewis asked. “You have to learn to follow your heart and not what you should do for money. You need to be happy.” Mr. Lewis was nervous for Brandon because he did not want him to waste his writing talent.

Finally, the day had come. He was either signing a coaching contract with the Cleveland Browns or making his decision to be a published poet. “I would like to announce that I will not be coaching for the Cleveland Browns,” Brandon stated very professionally to the audience at the press conference. “I would like to thank my Dad who passed away five years ago, and my second “dad” Professor Lewis, but most of all I would like to thank God for giving me all of these opportunities to be with these amazing people.”

The poem business took a hard toll on Brandon his first year. Brandon published only one poem all year and he found it difficult to pay bills. He lost many hours of sleep worrying about the future. Brandon struggled with his confidence, but Professor Lewis always seemed to be there for him.

Brandon’s second year, however, was more successful. Brandon published fifteen total poems and was awarded the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize which is one of the most prestigious poet awards. He had sold more poems than anyone in over two years. His award winning poem was titled “Passion or Money.” Brandon learned how to follow his heart and achieve greatness through tremendous effort. Not once during those two years did Brandon look back. “I will never look back on my decision with regret,” Brandon said. “I will only look toward the future.”