Allan Hancock College quarterback Baddredine Assioua, No. 13, and three other Hancock football players are being honored for their work on and off the field during the 2014 season: All four were added to the 2014 Scholar-Athlete Team by the Southern California Football Association (SCFA).
The honor is reserved for student-athletes who have been active members of the football team for two seasons, have completed a minimum of 36 units, and have a minimum 3.0 GPA.
Assioua, a business administration major, is being recognized for having the second highest GPA, 3.87, out of the 115 players on the 2015 Scholar-Athlete Team.
“I feel that knowledge can bring so much change to the world, and I want to be a part of that change,” Assioua said.
When speaking of the award, Assioua emphasized the support he’s received from friends and AHC staff.
“I feel as if it’s not an individual award, but a collective one. I am extremely humbled to have had the opportunity to work with my teammates and the coaching staff, counselors, and professors at AHC. I am proud that they can share in my experience.”
Assioua is originally from Morocco, and came to the U.S.—more specifically, Chicago—in 2000 with his parents. Ever since, his goal has been to prove to his parents that they made the right decision by moving. He plans to do this by making them proud of how he handles the opportunity they gave him.
He began playing football as a freshman in high school. When senior year came, he started playing quarterback. Unfortunately, he got injured his senior year, and many schools turned their attention toward other athletes. He then set his sights on a junior college, and two years ago he moved to California to play for AHC.
Although the 6-foot-2, 196-pound backup quarterback did not take a snap during the 2014 season, he has kept himself actively involved in the sport.
“He epitomizes a well-rounded student athlete. Many times you find kids who are really good at school, but are not that good of athletes. He is a great example of a student athlete who does well in the classroom and great on field. He is model kid,” said Hancock Athletic Director Kim Ensing.
Assioua said that the experience has been wonderful and he is very thankful to be representing such a great school.
“Football at AHC has taught me a lot. In particular, my rigorous football and class schedule has taught me great time management skills. I am now able to manage time in a way that I can be successful in the classroom as well as give 100 percent effort on field” Assouia said.
He is in his last semester at AHC and will be transferring for the fall term. He is currently waiting to hear back from UCLA and UC Berkeley.
Assouia plans on being the next big CEO of a Fortune 500 company. “I view business as the ultimate sport, and I feel that I can bring my tenacious competitive spirit to the business world the same way I approached practice,” he said.
This article appears in Mar 12-19, 2015.