Life is about experiences – you learn and grow from them. Mike Scheibel has had plenty of experiences here at Eastern Illinois University, including being a football player, a Special Education major and a volunteer in the community.

All of those things have provided memories and lessons for Scheibel however, there's one that stands out above all the others. That experience came in the spring semester of 2008 when Scheibel met a young man that many people had given up on.

As part of the curriculum for Special Education majors, Scheibel was required to be a part of an after school tutoring program. He had been told that this young man, Jeff*, couldn't pay attention in class and couldn't be reached by teachers or anyone else that had offered to help. Then Scheibel stepped in.

He saw potential in Jeff and knew that there was a way to help him, he just had to figure out what it was. Like a true student-athlete, Scheibel made homework into a game. He found activities that he liked and Scheibel challenged him. One example would be with a math problem, if he could finish it within a certain time there would be a reward with something he liked.

He also used the St. Louis Cardinals baseball games as a reward. Scheibel would allow Jeff to watch the game for one minute, then the game would go off and he would have to return to a problem. When it was finished, the baseball game came on again and this process continued until his work was done and correct.

Scheibel, 22, didn't let his hectic schedule get in the way of helping Jeff. He would spend time with him after school and then worry about getting to football on time. By the time school was over Scheibel had greatly helped the young man.

“It was very rewarding to see him smile when he showed me his report card at the end of the semester that showed all B's,” Scheibel said.

Schiebel will take on a new experience in the spring – student teaching at Greenville High School. Once he nails down a full time teaching job, he hopes to be a football and track coach, that way not only will he have the possibility to change a life in the classroom, but on the field and track as well.

“I want to help the youth of tomorrow become the most independent they can be and help them find their strengths to do their best,” Scheibel said.

“From these experiences I learned that it is all worth the effort when you can look back like I do and see that I may have changed a young man's life,” Scheibel said. “Once you realize that, it makes your life better for doing so.”

*Name has been changed for privacy reasons