One requirement for the Sports and Society class is for students to contact an individual to visit and speak in front of the class. Junior AJ LePage reached out to University of Michigan’s punter and kicker Kenny Allen and Allen spoke to the 2A and 4B Sports and Society classes on Feb. 27 and 28.

“I was able to reach out to Kenny Allen because of a connection I had,” LePage said. “I was grateful that he was able to take time out of his busy schedule to come and talk to our class. He is a great athlete and many people in my class respect him and all he has accomplished as an individual.”

Allen feels that it is very important to speak in front of sports classes so that the students can have someone who they can relate to and the experiences shared can hopefully be beneficial and potentially helpful.

“I think students can learn from me what it takes to get to where I am,” Allen said. “They can learn from my path and they can learn from my experiences. The most important thing I shared with the students were how I worked in high school to improve my grades and become eligible to play football. To play at my dream school, I had to put in a lot of work both on and off the field.”

“Maybe my path can inspire students, or guide them to fulfill certain dreams they might have.”
– University of Michigan kicker/punter Kenny Allen

LePage felt that listening to the experiences and advice of individuals that have become successful in the industry is important for students.

“Allen was able to validate the ideal that it takes hard work and dedication to make it to where you wanna get,” LePage said. “It is important to remember that students involved in sports are called student athletes. You’re a student first, so that means focusing on your grades is the first priority, yet working hard on sports and managing your time is key.”

Junior Aly Lenz agreed with LePage that student athletes must have time managment, yet her favorite part of the experience was when Allen shared life stories, good and bad, that have made him who he is.

“Just in general I really like hearing about experiences people have gone through in their lives,” Lenz said. “Since I want to play basketball in college I focused on the stories he told. Listening and learning from things he has been through as a student athlete is beneficial for me and my goals as a student athlete. I’m really grateful that he was able to come in and speak to our class.”