Student Story

After the loss of my father, my life is different. I see things differently now.”

Denoris Wardlow is a Sport Management major and Athletic Coaching minor at Catawba. He is also a defensive back on the football team.  

Denoris has faced both significant challenges and heartache during his time at Catawba.

During Denoris’ freshman year at Catawba, he was diagnosed with COVID. He fell extremely ill and had to return home where he remained in isolation. During his isolation, Denoris struggled to finish his assignments which led to him falling behind in some of his classes. Because of this, Denoris had to dig himself out of a hole which proved difficult.

After recovering from COVID and returning to campus, he learned that he had torn his meniscus and had to have surgery. “Having surgery was another setback I was facing while still recovering from the previous semester,” he said.

However, things started to look up at the start of Denoris’ sophomore year. His grades were improving, and he had brought up his GPA.

Then tragedy struck.

On January 14, 2022, Denoris’ father passed away unexpectedly. “I lost my role model, my mentor, and my everything. My dad played a significant role in my life. His death was very unexpected, and my family and I have struggled extremely hard with trying to keep it together.”

Denoris made the decision to stay home with his family after the loss of his father, but his mother decided he should return to campus.

“I returned to campus but was unable to focus on anything. I was at school, but my mind was on the loss of my dad. I tried so hard to focus and motivate myself, but I was at a loss of words and full of emotions. I was unable to get any sort of motivation back which caused me to fail my classes. I was in an even deeper hole,” he said.

But Denoris was not alone. “With all the obstacles I have faced, I’ve also had help trying to overcome them. Dr. Regina Simmons and Josh from the Student Success Center played a major role in helping me overcome these obstacles. My football coaches were also a big help. They were in my corner while I was trying to get myself back on track in the classroom,” he said.

“After the loss of my father, my life is different. I see things differently now. During this time out of school I have had the chance to really see just how important all the decisions I make are,” he added.

Today, Denoris’ classes are going well, and he is working toward graduating next winter. His plans for the future consist of playing professional football, working for a professional sports team, or becoming a real estate agent.