BATON ROUGE – LSU football players Josh Downs, Barkevious Mingo and Eric Reid took a break from their preparation for the upcoming season to participate in the FOCUS (Focusing on College and Unlimited Success) Program Tuesday at Peabody Hall on-campus.
FOCUS is a two week program hosted by LSU’s Honors College that concentrates on arts and humanities as well as science.
As the program provides a college experience for 9th and 10th graders, the student-athletes spoke to them about doing their best and grasping all opportunities they’re given. They also shared advice about preparing for post-secondary education and what it’s like to attend LSU.
“When I was in high school, I believe it would have been very beneficial to have someone closer to my age come in and speak about the importance of education,” Mingo said. “I felt it would be a good idea to help the kids with a message that nobody told me.”
During his speech, Reid encouraged the students to be involved in something they are truly passionate about and to always give 100 percent effort in everything they do.
LSU football will open its 2012 season against North Texas on September 1 at Tiger Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. and will be televised by ESPNU.