Shane Reil '09 On Achieving His Dreams
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“Growing up, I loved baseball more than anything in the world. I can still remember watching my first little league homerun soar over the scoreboard in center field. I am certain I haven’t smiled as hard since. In 2004, the most talented pitcher of my generation, Pedro Martinez, talked about how it felt to throw in front of 60,000 Yankees fans during the American League Championship Series: ‘It made me feel good; I realized that I was somebody important.’
“I was born and raised in Easthampton, Massachusetts. I don’t remember my father; he passed away before my fifth birthday. My mother tells me he was a good man and a hard worker. She made raising my sister and me her first priority, teaching us to be on time, to work hard, and to give our best to whatever we did. I still cherish these values.
Discovering Brown
“We were never well off, but we never cared much either; it was more important to have our family together. At age fourteen, I began working part time as a dishwasher. I liked having my own money and being able to help out financially at home. I tried to fit my job in with school, friends, sports, and other activities, but it got to be too much, so I focused instead on work and studies. During my senior year I started searching the internet for colleges. I loved what I found out about Brown, even though I thought I would never get in. When I was actually accepted, I jumped so high my head hit the kitchen ceiling.
“I still remember looking at the computer screen in the Financial Aid Office. The counselor said ‘This is your financial aid package’ and I said, ‘That’s the total for all four years, right?’ When I discovered that it was, instead, per year, I started crying. Then I told my mom, who was waiting in the car, and we both sat for an eternity, waiting for her to stop crying so we could drive back home.
Finding a world of opportunity
“What does my Sidney Frank scholarship mean to me? My freshman year was the first time I was able to focus entirely on school. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some of the most brilliant minds in my field—history—and I’ve recently talked to politicians and foreign-service agents about future careers. My scholarship has also given me a chance to be somebody, to achieve my dreams. So Pedro and I aren’t so different after all, I suppose. I feel like I am standing on the pitcher’s mound before a sold-out crowd at Fenway Park. Five years ago I would never have imagined that I would have a world of opportunity in front of me. But thanks to Brown’s need-blind admission policy, to the generous folks who support financial aid—and, in particular, to the late Sidney E. Frank—I do.
“It feels good to be somebody. And, believe me, I am an incredibly grateful somebody.”
