Being a first-generation college student can be hard enough, but a member of Monmouth College’s Class of 2025 added a few degrees of difficulty to the challenge.
Rockyen Spinks, a 2021 graduate of nearby Galesburg High School, completed his bachelor’s degree while not only being a four-year member of the Fighting Scots football team but also working an off-campus job with very demanding hours.
“On Mondays, I’d have to be up by 2:45 to be in Galesburg by 3:30,” said Spinks, who since January 2024 has been with UPS, where he’s continued to work after graduation. “I’d get off early on Mondays, and the rest of the week it was typically being in by 4:30 and getting back to campus around 10:30.”
He scheduled his classes to start at 11 a.m. or after, and if he caught a break, “I might even be able to squeeze in a 30-minute nap if I got back a little earlier. … I lived off energy drinks (from the college’s mini-market). It was exhausting, but when you love something, you do whatever you can to keep doing it. It means a great deal to me. I’ve always loved football. My family (he’s the second youngest of 10 children) taught me to play. It’ll always be close to my heart.”
Sometimes, though, Spinks had to work longer hours at UPS, not shorter ones.
“If a driver called in sick, he had to cover, and he would send faculty an email to explain,” said business professor Mike Connell.
Another faculty member, Kari Shimmin, worked closely with Spinks as he transitioned from the pursuit of business and education to an exercise science major. She helped him start an internship at the Warren County YMCA, where one of his duties was coaching the Warren County Falcons, a local group of Special Olympics athletes. He also helped coach the youth soccer program and supervised the Y’s after-school program.
“He discovered he wanted to give back and be a mentor, as others had done for him,” said Shimmin of Spinks, who was recently hired to serve as an assistant varsity coach with Galesburg High’s football team. “Rockyen is a hard-working, honest, polite and genuine young man. I’m so proud that he is pursuing his interest in coaching. He will impact many young people’s lives.”
A standout in the secondary
Spinks will be paying it forward, as he expressed his gratitude for what Monmouth’s coaches – in particular head coach Chad Braun – meant to him throughout his Scots’ career. Braun recruited Spinks and a few of his teammates, making the short drive from Monmouth to attend one of Spinks’ practices and speak to him.
Spinks’ senior year on the GHS gridiron was an odd one, as it was played in the spring due to the COVID pandemic. Along with having to wear a mask over his mouth while he played, Spinks said another, more pleasant memory from that season was an end zone interception against the favored Moline Maroons, who narrowly won 27-24. His performance earned him the Crunch Time Player of the Game honor, which would not be the last of his football honors.
“Knox was just a couple blocks from my house, and I did want to stay close to home,” said Spinks. “But we didn’t win a lot in high school, and I knew that Monmouth had a winning program.”
The Scots held up that end of the bargain, losing only nine times in his four seasons, and Spinks played an important role in keeping that loss figure from getting any higher. He didn’t have a “pick six” in his college career, but he did have six picks, including a pair of two-interception games. The first was against the University of Chicago – another teams of Maroons – in a 23-20 Monmouth victory his sophomore year.
“That game was crazy,” said Spinks, who helped set the tone by stepping in front of a receiver to end Chicago’s first drive of the contest, returning it 30 yards to midfield. The Scots scored a touchdown from there. Spinks’ second interception came late in third quarter with Chicago already ahead 14-10 and running a second-and-goal pass play from Monmouth’s 7-yard line. He jumped the route, preventing the Maroons’ lead from getting any larger. For his heroics in helping Monmouth rally for a 23-20 victory, Spinks was rewarded with the Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor.
“Rockyen overcame a ton in life to make it through, and he had a really good football career, too,” said Braun.
‘It was very emotional’
Part of what Spinks overcame was losing his father, Lester “Boo” Spinks, his sophomore year of high school.
“I really struggled with that, even in college,” he said. “One time, as a practice was ending, Coach Braun gathered the team together, and he prayed for me and my father. There were times I thought about leaving Monmouth, but every time I did, I’d go back to that moment and I’d stay. Coach Braun is a great man.”
Personal loss, a challenging new environment, off-campus responsibilities, lack of sleep – it all added up to making Spinks’ degree a little more meaningful than the average diploma.
“It was very emotional,” he said, when asked how he was feeling on the Wallace Hall Plaza during the college’s May 18 Commencement ceremony. “It felt surreal. I didn’t think I’d go to college, didn’t think I’d graduate. But I toughed it out.”
And his experience can help others tough it out and get to a better place, too.
“I’ve learned a lot from my coaches, learned how to be a better man,” said Spinks. “I’ve learned how to live the right way, and now I want to pass that knowledge down to other kids.”
***Courtesy of Barry McNamara, Monmouth College***
