"I Learned All of That at Wilson"

by Megan Philip, Admissions and Communications Associate

If you’re a college football fan (or even if you’re not!) you know that the Ohio State Buckeyes went undefeated in the 2019 regular season in one of the nation’s toughest football conferences, the Big 10.  What you may not know is that one of their wide receivers is a proud Wilson grad. Christopher Booker (Wilson ‘10, John Burroughs School ‘16) may now be part of one of college athletics’ most storied programs, but the road there was not an easy one.

After winning a high school state championship with JBS in 2015, Chris began his college career at the University of Dayton.  After transferring to The Ohio State University, he played the 2018 season for their club football team, where he was named a first-team All-American by the National Club Football Association.  In 2019 he achieved the rare distinction of earning a walk-on spot on the Division I team.  This accomplishment came on the heels of an extraordinarily difficult year for his family, in the wake of his beloved brother Nick’s sudden death in the fall of 2018.

Chris was kind enough to take some time away from his rigorous practice schedule to speak with our Head of School about the motivation and experiences behind his success as a scholar-athlete and the role Wilson played in developing them.  We’re honored to share some of those thoughts with you below.

-Find something you’re passionate about  “I look for something I can hang my hat on and that I can do something good with.”  Chris strives to act as both an inspiration and a role model to those around him.  
-Then do it for a reason “This is where the grit, and the passion, comes from.  Never do something unless you know why you’re doing it.”
-”Your best opponent is yourself: How good can you be?  The amount of work you have to put in to be great is always more than you think.  You have to value the hard work.” Which leads to...
-”It’s my goal to be the hardest working player on the field- to give the most effort on every play and opportunity I get.”  Chris credits his family and his teachers at Wilson for instilling this in him.
-”Remain humble.  It’s not hard to do that when you’ve gone to Wilson, because they teach you to think and to look on a grander scale at the world, to view knowledge as a tool that can also benefit those around you.  I learned all of that at Wilson. My time at Burroughs was great, and they teach you those things, too, but I learned the essential foundations at Wilson, and I don’t think the rest would have been possible without that.”