Trey Harris - Indiana Track and Field

“Chicago is my second home, but that’s another story. I grew up in Elkhart, Indiana. My high school was pretty split but my neighborhood was predominantly Black. I played a lot of AAU basketball growing up. I learned a lot from my teammates and I still keep in contact with them, but some of those people didn’t live in the same neighborhood as me. My friends weren’t necessarily their friends and there’s nothing wrong with that. It made me realize that I can connect with and get along with anyone I want to. We can all come to a common ground in a sport that we love.”

“On June 22, 2013 my cousin Braxton was shot and killed. I had turned 16 the week before. I don’t really talk about stuff like this, but growing up I saw people shot and killed. I was always just told by my mom and dad to ‘stick it through.’ I think it made me realize that we don’t live in a fantasy world. I couldn’t bring them back, but I needed to do the things they were telling me to do before they passed.”

“I had great friends that always looked out for me. Even though we may have had different paths, they helped me go to practice and made sure my grades were good. They made sure I didn’t stay out too late and that I was around the right crowd. What they did made me into the man I am now. I call them my family because I wouldn’t be here today without them.”

“My dad was one of the greatest basketball players to come out of the west side of Chicago. The pressure was already on me and the rest of my family because basketball was our thing. I did track in high school because it was a good way to stay in shape, but I always knew I was good enough to play DI basketball. God had a different plan. One day my track coach suggested I just focus on track. No AAU, no pick-up. Nothing. He told me, ‘I promise you I will get you were you need to be.’ It was a tough pill to swallow but I went on to break our high school record and got a scholarship to Indiana University.”

“My grandparents died back to back during my sophomore year in college. My grandma passed away September 5th and my grandpa passed away September 6th. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know how to handle my emotions. I didn’t trust anyone because I felt alone. I felt a lot of anger and emptiness. The only thing I could trust was the grind. That was really all I had at IU. So I took it out during my workouts and made sure I did every little detail. It helped me sleep better at night. Next thing you know, 5 months later I became a champion. Where I’m from that’s like winning a Grammy.”

“I got involved in M.O.V.E. (Men of Valor Excelling) in 2014. I was the new kid on the block and they took me in because I couldn’t relate to anyone else. I was attending a predominantly white institution and just thinking, ‘Who can I talk to about this?’ Who are my brothers I can lean on? Over the years I was blessed with the opportunity to become VP and then President. We empower Black, student-athletes to be leaders in our community and give each other support. That’s what motivates me and gives me that fire because I live through, not only, God but others. I see others’ potential and say let’s do it.”

“I know there are other athletes like me. I know they’ve been through trauma. I know it’s so hard to remain humble and act like nothing happened. I know they’re out there, so my job is to help them out no matter what it is because I don’t want anyone to deal with the situation that I’ve dealt with. I have to at least say something about my story to hopefully impact someone that needs it.”

“I’d love to see a change in our education system. If you want to stop racism it starts with the school system. We have to educate the youth because they will be the change in the future. If you can mold them at an early age… that’s powerful. We need to make sure we put our foot in the ground and stay with it, because we’re making history. It’s our job to set others up for a better lifestyle so they won’t have to deal with this.”

“I love people. I love the impact I have on people and the impact people have on me. It doesn’t matter if we have different views. We probably have differences, but I can learn from you. I love all people no matter what race you are, what color you are, or what type of eyes you have. We’re all part of a bigger family.”