MY JOURNEY
A New Land
My story began in 2001 when I left my mother and older brother in Nigeria to move to the United States. I was 8 years old and was going to live my father whom I had never met since my birth. He was a truck driver so we moved a lot and I never saw much of his time. I spent most of my time in athletics to keep me busy, however I did not play organized sports until high school. but I took full advantage of PE classes and any opportunity to be physically active and grow strong.
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THE NIGHTMARE
Adversity Breeds Champions
Unfortunately, in 2007, my dad was involved in a fatal truck accident, so I had to move to California to live with my uncle. I attended Del Mar High School in San Jose. I was a two-sport varsity athlete, running track and field and playing quarterback for the football team. By my senior year, I was named team captain and was later awarded the honor of team MVP. I graduated high school in 2011 with honors and set out to attend Sacramento State University with the intent of studying Biochemistry. Not playing football in college led me to be very proactive in the social scene. I joined a fraternity, became heavily involved in partying and drinking, started trying new drugs, barely sleeping and occasionally working out from time to time. After my third year of college, I realized I was destroying my body although I gave the perception that I was in really good shape. I took time off from partying and drinking and quit my fraternity to focus more on my personal wellness and individual goals. During this period, I saw a change in my body that I was very proud of and completely fell in love with the progress and working out as a whole.
FINDING F.A.S.T
OKO FAST
My 4th year of college, I switched my major to Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Science against my uncle’s approval. I started training vigorously spending almost three hours in the gym at times. I taught myself Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and a variety of functional movements. I started breaking many personal records and saw incredible changes in my physique. I finally felt complete again. Fitness helped me find balance in my life and I was able to commit to something worthwhile. Ultimately, it drove me to be fast and clear with my decision making and goals.
Today, I want everyone to take the principles behind FAST and apply it to their life. You can bounce back from hardship, have a positive attitude, use that attitude to develop strength in everything you do, and have balance in understanding your personal wellness and growth. If you follow these guidelines for life, along with the my support, you are bound to leave your own strides on this planet we live in. We are the products of our circumstances, so make them good and move fast and never be last.
With Love,
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Alexander Oko
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