The concept of pursuing dreams is an action to be respected and admired. Brianna Ziegler, a sophomore commercial recreation major, has pursued her ambitions with bravery and confidence. Ziegler realized from early on that she was physically stronger than majority of the girls in her age group. She always had an extremely competitive nature and enjoyed contact sports. “Every year I would arm wrestle my friend Patrick. We always had a good match and alternated winning, but it wasn’t until the eighth grade that he mentioned I should go out for the football team.”

After careful thought, Ziegler decided to go for it. Against all odds of being a girl on an all-boys team, she introduced herself to the coach. Luckily, the coach was very accepting and treated her no differently than the boys. Throughout a period of tough and challenging tryouts, Ziegler persevered with confidence and earned herself a spot on the team.

After a few weeks, her teammates placed upon her the nickname “Troy” for her resemblance to Troy Polamalu of the National Football League (NFL). Ziegler and Polamalu have comparable hair styles, long, black, thick, and curly. Polamalu is well known for his comedic Head and Shoulders commercials, depicting his frivolous nature and elongated hair style.

NFL player Troy Polamalu
Photo courtesy of tseshop.com

“I’ve always admired Troy’s dedication and passion towards the game of football, and this is one of the reasons I respect him the most,” Ziegler continues, “After receiving the nickname, I always imagined how awesome it would be to meet him and star in one of his hilarious Head and Shoulders commercials.” Ziegler is a believer in following her dreams. Her great persistence and entrepreneurship has led her to creating her own website. This website is dedicated to her dream of meeting Polamalu, as well as being an endorser for Head and Shoulders. Although this may be an uncommon dream, Ziegler feels she can accomplish it through determination and hard work. “I hope that people are inspired by my story, and realize that pursuing your dreams does not have to be scary, but it should be a journey that can be taken advantage of.”

Originally when Ziegler came to Kean University, she had intended on continuing her football career on the boy’s football team. She later realized that she wanted to pursue her goals in a more professional and career-oriented aspect. Instead of trying out for the team, Ziegler decided to become manager for the university’s basketball team as well as the football team. This has allowed her to branch out and network her skills to help turn her interests into a fulfilling and lifelong career. “I plan to continue working [in the field of] sports for the rest of my life. Upon graduation I hope to work within a professional football team either as a manager or in the PR [public relations] department.” Ziegler has shown great confidence and bravery in pursuing her dreams. She is a leader to others and exemplifies what it takes to succeed.

For more information on Brianna Ziegler check out her website:

brimeetspolamalu.weebly.com