SE: First-Generation Graduate James Gilbert Continues to Take Advantage of Educational Opportunities, On Track to Finish Master’s in One Year
Oct 11, 2019 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
James Gilbert is not the average graduate transfer student-athlete. Really, it's the student side of that label he carries better than just about anyone, athlete or not.
The first-year K-State running back, in a new system with a completely different coaching staff, leads the Wildcats with 415 rushing yards and four touchdowns through five games. He is also on track to finish his master's degree in academic advising — a 30-hour, two-year program — in one calendar year.
"He's a really good model of balancing some very difficult things," Dr. Lisa Rubin, Gilbert's on-campus academic advisor who's also an assistant professor in his program, said. "To be both a full-time athlete and a full-time grad student…but, really, to me, he's beyond full time because he's doing a master's in one year, and it's just not the norm."
Gilbert took 12 hours last spring and got a 4.0. For reference, nine hours is considered full time at the graduate school level, while six hours hits that mark if it comes with a graduate assistant position somewhere. In the summer, he took nine more hours. Rubin said it's "very, very rare" for graduate students to take more than two classes, or six hours, in the summer.
"It's not the norm for a full-time student that's just doing school and no work. I think that's really amazing," Rubin, in her sixth year at K-State, said. "The sheer number of classes he started out with, and he crushed it in the classroom, I was so impressed. And I continue to be impressed with him."
Gilbert, in his final nine hours this fall, characterized it another way.
"It's just about taking advantage," he said. "I've just been taking advantage of my opportunities."
It's what he's done his whole life.
Gilbert said he grew up watching his parents grind to make ends meet. Neither went to college, and both worked multiple jobs. Gilbert, from an early age, said he knew this was not the type of life he wanted.
"I feel like it started in middle school going into my freshman year of high school. I saw how my parents struggled, financially, having to support me, my brothers and sister," he said. "I felt like I had to make a change. I had to be different. I had to make sure I got my education, whether I was playing sports or not.
"I just took advantage."
Football became one advantage. It, he figured quickly, could be his golden ticket to educational opportunities.
"I looked at high school as my only way out was, obviously, playing a sport, getting my education paid for," he said, "and then taking advantage from there."
Gilbert, an Indianapolis, Indiana native, put together a resumé and set up a Gmail account before he got to Arsenal Tech High School. He graduated ATHS early, after setting its career rushing record with 4,817 yards, which earned him a scholarship at Ball State. He proceeded to finish his bachelor's degree in communication studies at Ball State after his redshirt junior season (December 2018), capping a career with 2,806 rushing yards for the Cardinals.
Gilbert then decided to look into the graduate transfer route. He was connected with first-year K-State head coach Chris Klieman, in need of some running backs. With only one year of scholarship aid left, Gilbert made his academic goals clear from the start: He wanted to finish in that time.
"A scholarship covering a degree is a gift. He knew that the moment he got admitted," Rubin said. "I talked to him in December of last year and he said, 'I have a scholarship through my last season. I want to get that degree before the year's over.' He had a goal."
He also had a work ethic to meet it.
"When he first got here, the first week he was in here over and over again to make sure he got to off to a good start," K-State Athletics academic advisor Bill Banks said. "And he did. He's always been in here working."
Gilbert's days this offseason often started at the Vanier Family Football Complex at 6 a.m. for football workouts, but he devoted time afterward and late at night to classwork in the facility's student-athlete enhancement center.
"Being up here consistently was kind of like a job for me, waking up at 6 a.m. and not leaving until like 10 at night," Gilbert said. "Clocking in and clocking out, that's how I kind of looked at it. I did that every day."
Gilbert's constant presence reinforced another key component he has taken advantage of: His resources. He said this has included people like Rubin, Banks and former K-State Athletics academic advisor Kim Gross, as much as the facilities, like Vanier, some of them work in.
"Coming into a new school, new environment I'd never been to before, taking 12 credits as a grad transfer…that's a lot. Then, (I was) learning a new playbook," Gilbert said. "But I felt like I had the right support staff around me. They encouraged me, motivated me every day, and I feel like it was easy for me to keep it going."
In high school, Gilbert said he had similar group of positive influences, including coaches, who helped put him on an education-focused path.
Instead of sending him to football camps all the time, they recommended he take some college visits and "envision" himself walking to class. Gilbert said one mentor took him to several career fairs and college visits. He started to show him what was possible for his future.
"I had good people around me — mentors, coaches, family members. I feel like I was guided in the right direction. I just took advantage and always listened," he said. "They all saw something different in me. I didn't see it in myself. They all saw something different in me, so once I started hearing it multiple times, I was, like, 'Alright, I'm different.' So, I have to move different, think different, be acclimated to what's going on and talk to people."
Gilbert, on track to graduate from K-State this December, said he wants to use his education and his experiences to have that same type of impact on others, especially those in situations similar to his.
"I feel like, for the past five years I have been in college, I have taken advantage. I have shown people that if I can do it, they can do it, too," he said. "It's hard for young kids to listen to what's going on, but everybody that was in my life impacted me and I just listened to them. And look at me now. It all paid off."
James Gilbert is not the average graduate transfer student-athlete. Really, it's the student side of that label he carries better than just about anyone, athlete or not.
The first-year K-State running back, in a new system with a completely different coaching staff, leads the Wildcats with 415 rushing yards and four touchdowns through five games. He is also on track to finish his master's degree in academic advising — a 30-hour, two-year program — in one calendar year.
"He's a really good model of balancing some very difficult things," Dr. Lisa Rubin, Gilbert's on-campus academic advisor who's also an assistant professor in his program, said. "To be both a full-time athlete and a full-time grad student…but, really, to me, he's beyond full time because he's doing a master's in one year, and it's just not the norm."
Gilbert took 12 hours last spring and got a 4.0. For reference, nine hours is considered full time at the graduate school level, while six hours hits that mark if it comes with a graduate assistant position somewhere. In the summer, he took nine more hours. Rubin said it's "very, very rare" for graduate students to take more than two classes, or six hours, in the summer.
"It's not the norm for a full-time student that's just doing school and no work. I think that's really amazing," Rubin, in her sixth year at K-State, said. "The sheer number of classes he started out with, and he crushed it in the classroom, I was so impressed. And I continue to be impressed with him."
Gilbert, in his final nine hours this fall, characterized it another way.
"It's just about taking advantage," he said. "I've just been taking advantage of my opportunities."
It's what he's done his whole life.
Gilbert said he grew up watching his parents grind to make ends meet. Neither went to college, and both worked multiple jobs. Gilbert, from an early age, said he knew this was not the type of life he wanted.
"I feel like it started in middle school going into my freshman year of high school. I saw how my parents struggled, financially, having to support me, my brothers and sister," he said. "I felt like I had to make a change. I had to be different. I had to make sure I got my education, whether I was playing sports or not.
"I just took advantage."
Football became one advantage. It, he figured quickly, could be his golden ticket to educational opportunities.
"I looked at high school as my only way out was, obviously, playing a sport, getting my education paid for," he said, "and then taking advantage from there."
Gilbert, an Indianapolis, Indiana native, put together a resumé and set up a Gmail account before he got to Arsenal Tech High School. He graduated ATHS early, after setting its career rushing record with 4,817 yards, which earned him a scholarship at Ball State. He proceeded to finish his bachelor's degree in communication studies at Ball State after his redshirt junior season (December 2018), capping a career with 2,806 rushing yards for the Cardinals.
Gilbert then decided to look into the graduate transfer route. He was connected with first-year K-State head coach Chris Klieman, in need of some running backs. With only one year of scholarship aid left, Gilbert made his academic goals clear from the start: He wanted to finish in that time.
"A scholarship covering a degree is a gift. He knew that the moment he got admitted," Rubin said. "I talked to him in December of last year and he said, 'I have a scholarship through my last season. I want to get that degree before the year's over.' He had a goal."
He also had a work ethic to meet it.
"When he first got here, the first week he was in here over and over again to make sure he got to off to a good start," K-State Athletics academic advisor Bill Banks said. "And he did. He's always been in here working."
Gilbert's days this offseason often started at the Vanier Family Football Complex at 6 a.m. for football workouts, but he devoted time afterward and late at night to classwork in the facility's student-athlete enhancement center.
"Being up here consistently was kind of like a job for me, waking up at 6 a.m. and not leaving until like 10 at night," Gilbert said. "Clocking in and clocking out, that's how I kind of looked at it. I did that every day."
Gilbert's constant presence reinforced another key component he has taken advantage of: His resources. He said this has included people like Rubin, Banks and former K-State Athletics academic advisor Kim Gross, as much as the facilities, like Vanier, some of them work in.
"Coming into a new school, new environment I'd never been to before, taking 12 credits as a grad transfer…that's a lot. Then, (I was) learning a new playbook," Gilbert said. "But I felt like I had the right support staff around me. They encouraged me, motivated me every day, and I feel like it was easy for me to keep it going."
In high school, Gilbert said he had similar group of positive influences, including coaches, who helped put him on an education-focused path.
Instead of sending him to football camps all the time, they recommended he take some college visits and "envision" himself walking to class. Gilbert said one mentor took him to several career fairs and college visits. He started to show him what was possible for his future.
"I had good people around me — mentors, coaches, family members. I feel like I was guided in the right direction. I just took advantage and always listened," he said. "They all saw something different in me. I didn't see it in myself. They all saw something different in me, so once I started hearing it multiple times, I was, like, 'Alright, I'm different.' So, I have to move different, think different, be acclimated to what's going on and talk to people."
Gilbert, on track to graduate from K-State this December, said he wants to use his education and his experiences to have that same type of impact on others, especially those in situations similar to his.
"I feel like, for the past five years I have been in college, I have taken advantage. I have shown people that if I can do it, they can do it, too," he said. "It's hard for young kids to listen to what's going on, but everybody that was in my life impacted me and I just listened to them. And look at me now. It all paid off."
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