Justin Bolden, a former three-sport athlete from Southeastern High School in Remlap, was recognized on April 10 for how the 2016 Bryant-Jordan Scholarship helped transform his life. The story of Bolden’s journey from a challenging childhood to success was shared by Josh Bean for the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
The Bryant-Jordan Scholarship is known for supporting students who overcome significant personal obstacles. Bolden’s experience demonstrates how such programs can make a lasting difference in recipients’ lives and inspire others facing similar hardships.
Travis Janssen, then head baseball coach at Austin Peay University, said he discovered Bolden after reading an online profile: “It was one of those stories that worked out to be just too good to be true,” Janssen said. He added that without the scholarship and resulting publicity, he would never have heard of Bolden or been able to offer him an opportunity as a baseball manager at Austin Peay. Janssen described Bolden as exceptionally hardworking: “That kid, almost to an unhealthy extent, sleep was optional for him. He worked so hard, and everybody respected him.”
Keith Moore, assistant principal at Southeastern High School and one of Bolden’s coaches, also praised his determination: “A lot of people get an opportunity and they’re not willing to put in the work… He had the drive and the determination.” Despite setbacks—including being medically denied entry into the military—Bolden graduated from Austin Peay with a degree in criminal justice in 2020. He now works as a corporal with the Stewart County Sheriff’s Department.
Bolden received $8,500 from the Bryant-Jordan program after being named both regional winner and overall recipient of the Ken and Betty Joy Blankenship Student-Athlete Achievement Award. Reflecting on his experience, he said: “When you think about winning that, you never want to tarnish that. It’s a little bit of a motivator to do everything right and not fail.”
Looking back on how far he has come—with no college debt thanks to scholarships and jobs—Bolden credits much of his success to being recognized by others: “It did, 100 percent,” he said about whether receiving the scholarship changed his life. “If my testimony can help one other person, I need to do that. Other people saw that before I did.”
