I am Tariq Melvin Francis from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The most influential and intricate parts of my life are my family and God! My parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, cousins, and everyone who has been a part of my journey to this point and beyond, I am truly grateful for. I have been blessed to have so many amazing Coaches and teammates!
I wanted to play basketball beyond high school and I made a lot of sacrifices to achieve my goal. I had to go to multiple high schools, play for multiple AAU teams, had to skip my high school prom, no homecoming dances, wasn’t able to walk down the aisle in a cap and gown to graduate because I had a tournament, very non traditional high school experiences, all while maintaining a 3.5+ gpa and scoring a 1210 on my SAT’s on the first attempt. These sacrifices were not mines and mines alone and I want to thank my family, coaches, and God for guiding and nurturing me along this path!
I am currently enrolled at NJIT, The New York Times college ranking tool rates NJIT No. 1 nationally among all public universities when you prioritize high alumni earnings, economic mobility and academic profile, and The Wall Street Journal rates NJIT No. 19 overall and No. 2 among public universities in the United States.
I am proud to say I am here on a FULL athletic scholarship and a member of the NJIT men’s basketball program. I am currently majoring in Business at NJIT. I am not sure what direction my major or athletic career will take me. I do know I work everyday to be consistent and conscience about the daily grind it takes to be successful!
“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters.”
– Colin Powell
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