From the Nominator

"Eric Burnett chaired the ATU Board of Trustees in 2021. But many did not know that he was from a single parent family and one of 12 children. He came to ATU on a basketball scholarship and only read at the 8th-grade level upon arrival. However, people saw something in Eric, and he dug deep to figure out how to study, improve his reading, and get an education--something he describes as his ticket out of poverty. 

As the board chair, Eric volunteered to tell his ATU story as a way to encourage prospective students who were in tough spots in life that they could be successful if they worked hard. The MARCOMM team traveled to Eric's high school alma mater (where he now coaches) and interviewed him, got b-roll, and shared his story. We posted this on social media and had significant results. For example, it has more than 3,000 views and more than 66 reactions."

From the Judges

The makers of this video chose an exciting story to highlight and did a great job filming various aspects of Eric’s life. We appreciated that the video was used for both an admissions audience and an alumni audience.