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“Call me what you want, but don’t call me lazy,” says Louis Gould ’19, a history major who might possibly be the busiest student at Longwood.
In addition to his two full-time jobs and his roles mentoring high schoolers and substituting at Prince Edward County schools and coaching rec league teams, he’s best known in the community as the founder of Fresh Boyz Club, now an officially recognized nonprofit with a mission of helping young men in the community grow into leaders and productive citizens.
I just want them to understand it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what you’ve been through, or how many losses you’ve taken—it’s about where you’re going.
Louis Gould ’19 Tweet This
With all those roles, it’s possible schoolwork could get crowded out and become less of a priority. But through the club and his other roles, Gould has surrounded himself with young people who look to him as an example.
Gould doesn’t have a defined goal in mind, a place he’d like to get to. Rather, he understands his purpose.
“I don’t know what I’m trying to accomplish,” he said. “But I know one thing: I am trying because this next generation needs guidance. I’m trying to show them that I was a class clown, I failed geometry, and I’m still about to graduate college and be a teacher—your teacher. I’ve been there and sat in the seats you’re sitting in right now. I just want them to understand it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what you’ve been through, or how many losses you’ve taken—it’s about where you’re going.”
Maybe that’s why he bounces around from role to role, looking to make an impact wherever he can.
“For example, I was substituting recently, and there was a student who came in and was complaining that her head hurt,” he said. “Come to find out, she didn’t sleep because she was up all night taking care of her little sister who was sick. I want to be the type of person who is understanding of everyone’s situation.”
That’s why graduation is such a big moment for Gould. Never mind that he graduated high school in 2009 and went to another four-year institution for a few years, then earned his associate’s degree before enrolling at Longwood. This is the moment when he proves to all the kids who look up to “Mr. G” that success is possible for people like them.
“A few of them are going to try to make it out to graduation,” he said. “Two of my soccer players are pretty excited. Those are my boys. I’m going to be honest: that’s why I was chasing this so bad. I chased it for me too, but I want them to see all this work that I put in pay off.”
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