As a child, reading never came easily to Jorvorskie Lane, but sports did. He exceled at athletics and was a star on his high school’s football team. Thinking football would be his ticket to college and life, Jorvorskie did not exert himself academically. He continued to struggle with reading, scoring poorly on the reading section of his SATs.
As colleges began recruiting for football scholarships, the stakes got higher and Jorvorskie’s academic struggles became more apparent. His coaches warned him that his dream of attending college was at risk. “I saw my future slip away,” said Jorvorskie. Luckily, help came at the right time.
Every year, Lufkin High School teacher Betty Lewing had her READ 180 students read children’s stories to local elementary school kids. Coincidentally, that year, one student had requested that Jorvorskie be one of the guest readers. While Betty had never had Jovorskie as a student, she soon learned that Jorvorskie had been struggling on the SATs. At the encouragement of his coaches and Mrs. Lewing, Jorvorskie enrolled in READ 180.
Things began to change. With the help of his teacher, Jorvorskie found books that he was really interested in. He gravitated towards stories about sports. For the first time in his life, Jorvorskie found that a book was able to grab and keep his attention. His SAT score increased by 400 points, and college and the NFL were no longer just a dream, but a reality.
In 2005, Jorvorskie graduated high school and enrolled in Texas A&M University. Today, he plays as a fullback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While football is his living, he says his life is his family. “There’s nothing better than being able to read to my kids and hearing them read to me,” says Jorvorskie.
Watch Jorvorskie Lane’s READ 180 story and see how reading opened a world of possible for him.
You can also find more READ 180 success stories here.
