Why Is 6 Afraid of 7
If ifs and buts were candy and nuts every day would be Christmas.”
Ayden Koss-Marshall has lived by those words of advice his high school coach gave him every day. Because if his life has taught him (and us) anything, it is to persevere and never give up. You get to choose your story and it’s up to you if you choose to make excuses, or fight for the life you want.
Growing up, Ayden definitely didn’t have a “normal” childhood. He was raised by a single mom for most of his life and didn’t see his dad a lot until later on in middle school, and even then it was only occasionally. At one point, he recalls that he and his mom were even kind of homeless. Thankfully, friends and family would let them stay with them so they weren’t on the streets or in his mom’s car.
Watching my mom and dad through all the years and watching them both come up from very low standards to where we are now has taught me a lot about effort and work ethic.”
Ayden’s unique story is also what helped him to grow up to accomplish everything that he has. One of those accomplishments even includes our very own president, Jody Horner, liking a few of his Tweets.
When he isn’t in class learning all things digital marketing, Ayden is jamming to Writings On The Wall by Sam Smith, enjoying long walks on the beach and candlelit dinners, or hanging out with his friends watching whatever game is on TV. In all seriousness though, Ayden is a member of the Midland football team and participates in choir in the off-season. After graduation, he hopes to be a stay-at-home dad while running social media campaigns for businesses and coaching high school football.
And even though he didn’t understand the “why is 6 afraid of 7” joke until high school and would choose to have dinner with Morgan Freeman, Casey Kasem, and Sir David Attenborough (British narrator) so he could listen to all of them talk, Ayden truly exemplifies what it means to be a Warrior.
Being a Warrior means being the best version of myself. Most people here are in some activity where they compete for a position, part, or ranking, and that competitiveness is apparent in classrooms among the top students. So being able to compete in the classroom is more fun and also much more beneficial. I’ve had a couple of surgeries and faced a few other obstacles along the way, but being at Midland should teach you that obstacles really aren’t anything to worry about because there’s always a way around them.”
Ayden Koss-Marshall is a junior Digital Marketing & Business Management major from Lincoln, Nebraska. To share your story or nominate a friend, email social@midlandu.edu or post using #FacesofMidland.
