Chase – Victor Cruz
“Many people will look at me and see Victor Cruz, the New York Giant, the Super Bowl champion, the pro-bowler and the salsa dancer. But really, I’m just a kid from Paterson, New Jersey, who had big dreams. Growing up in a city like Paterson wasn’t always easy. You could quickly fall in with the wrong crowd if you weren’t constantly making an effort to stay on the straight and narrow. Thankfully, I was able to find guidance from an incredible family. My mom worked hard to put food on the table, and taught me about the value of hard work. My grandma, mi abuela, had a strict rule that I had to be home for dinner before the street lights went on every night. At the time, I wasn’t too thrilled about it, but looking back, I am so grateful. I’m sure that rule kept me out of a lot of trouble. It wasn’t just my family who made a difference throughout my life. During my childhood and teenage years, I met so many heroes in my community. My childhood Tae Kwan Do teacher taught me the importance of discipline and showed me that if I believed in myself and worked hard, I could accomplish my goals. My high school football coach, Coach Benjie Wimberley — a really tough guy who I never, ever wanted to disappoint — played a huge role in making me the man I am today as well.”(more)