Student athletes have to balance three activities to succeed in while at college: academics, athletics, and community service. Most are able to excel at two of these, at best. Junior Offensive Lineman Bobby Bollinger, however, found a way to balance all three.
Instead of the normal summer job a college student might get during the summer, Bobby went above and beyond by working at Dick’s Sporting Goods, serving as a camp counselor and an accounting intern for TigerPause, a Christ-centered, community-based organization serving Beaver County’s young people and their families.
“My advisor was suggesting some different internships I could do, one being in Pittsburgh and one being at TigerPause in Beaver Falls,” he says. “I had already worked at there so I went down to talk to Matt, the owner, who told me that I already knew what I was doing so I should just go for it.”
Bobby found out about this organization during welcome week of his freshman year in his learning and transitioning class. Since then, he has spent his time doing odd jobs with the high schoolers, helping out in the furniture bank store as part of their moving team on the weekends.
“During the school year I would ask Matt on Saturday’s if he had any extra hours to give or if there were any big moves he needed extra help with which I liked because it meant that I got to work the kids and build those relationships,” Bobby says.
He went on to say that he had some great bonding moments with the kids, especially those who played football at the Beaver Falls High School. This created a common ground to build off of as they worked together.
When asked about his favorite part of the internship and summer working with TigerPause, Bobby confidently responded that it was the relationships that were built.
“Working with the guys was a great time, especially because it just goes with what I have been taught my whole football career; if you work hard you will earn your spot,” he explains.
Early on in his internship training, two of his co-workers went on maternity leave. This left him to figure things out for himself.
“I found out there was a lot of stuff that I didn’t know but needed to find the answers to. It was definitely a very different experience when I had to start making calls to the courthouse or to find the information I needed for payroll,” Bobby recalls. “One thing that made it easier was knowing that I had the strong support from Matt and Caleb, another co-worker, which gave me the confidence I needed as I was trying to figure everything out.”
During his high school and college years on the offensive line, Bobby has played behind some strong athletes. Yet, he keeps coming back to what his first high school football coach taught him about hard work and earning one’s spot.
“Even at home I have always had to work hard. So being here at Geneva and listening to Coach, it is motivating but it is more just reinforcing what I have been taught my whole life, which is to work hard,” Bobby says. “If I had any advice for the freshmen football players come into the program, it would be keep your eye in the windshield not the rearview mirror; so work hard and it will help make it all come together.”
Bobby continues to do some accounting work along with some other odd jobs for TigerPause in his limited off hours as the season begins. He hopes to get some interviews with some accounting firms in Pittsburgh to really boost his understanding of the field and get more real life experiences to supplement what he has already learned. In doing this, he will do what he has been taught through playing football and living life; work hard.
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