Baylor Student's Skateboarding Club (PDF)

Ezekiel Sutton JOU 3372 - 9:05 AM Assignment 3 - Polishing Your Work A Generation-Changing Student Skating to Long Lasting Legacy Easton Mahepaul is a political science major with a legal reasoning and analysis major at Baylor University. He comes from Jacksonville, Florida...

Ezekiel Sutton JOU 3372 - 9:05 AM Assignment 3 - Polishing Your Work A Generation-Changing Student Skating to Long Lasting Legacy Easton Mahepaul is a political science major with a legal reasoning and analysis major at Baylor University. He comes from Jacksonville, Florida and originally found his way to Baylor under the premed track through the direction of his parents. Never one to follow a traditional path, Mahepaul fell in love with the political sciences but kept it hidden from his parents for some time. After taking more medical classes he disliked, he announced to his mother he wanted to switch his major to the one has today. With her support, Mahepaul has pursued his law career since, trading in the MCAT for the LSAT this summer. Mahepaul’s rejection of norms was deeper than his dislike of medical studies, but also shaped by his passion for a sport built on rebellion, skateboarding. Mahepaul walked into the interview with his skateboard tucked under his arm. He was wearing loose, dark pants with red stitching and a baggy shirt. His style matched his standout presence. He greeted his interviewer with a smile, sitting in his chair and leaning back to relax. Once it was established the interview was focused on skateboarding, his eyes lit up as he said he could talk about skateboarding for hours. Since last fall, Mahepaul has been trying to start a skateboarding club at Baylor. To Mahepaul, skateboarding is the art form telling him the most vivid stories. In the skating community at Baylor, he serves as the videographer, capturing footage of his friends hitting their best tricks all across Baylor’s campus and the rest of Waco. His combination of running into the Baylor police sometimes and his love for political science pushed him to want to start the skateboarding club to give the community he deeply cares about safety to skate on campus. Though Mahepaul skates often now, this wasn’t always the case. He attempted the sport in middle school, but after many injuries due to skating by himself he walked away for a few years. It was his friend Danny who pushed him to get back on the board and skate consistently again. Those days spent skating with Danny led Mahepaul to bring his skateboard with him when he enrolled at Baylor. Initially he did not intend to use the board as anything other than a transportation device between classes, but this all changed when he met Bridges. Mahepaul described Bridges as a brother and will have him serve as vice president in the aforementioned skateboarding club. When asked who he would want to skate with before he died, he was quick to say Bridges. He credits Bridges with the love he has for skateboarding today and the support he needed to start the skateboarding club. The interview ended with a newfound deep respect for Mahepaul. He is extremely passionate in every part of his life, cares for his community and seeks to create a legacy during his four years at Baylor through the skateboarding club. The short 30 minutes of talking led to a new friendship that may also lead to this author joining his club.