Resilient Spirits

Although he had permission to attend his Harvard graduation, Isaiah chose to attend training camp for the Seattle Seahawks instead. "What I took away from Harvard, it was the experiences and meeting the people," Isaiah says. "I didn't need a piece of paper to validate that."

Instead, Isaiah says he chose a stand-in very near and dear to him—his father, who never attended college. "He had worked so hard to better his life and get his life on track," Isaiah says. "It was just an honor for me to be able to have him represent himself and my five siblings and my mom."