Recently, we contacted former Wyke student Louis Mobbs to chat about his post-Wyke life. It's an inspirational story and really outlines what is possible if you really set your mind on achieving your goals. From his Hull secondary school, to Wyke, to Saint Peters USA on a soccer scholarship, to a career in New York city; Louis' story is great to read. So instead of editing and rewording, we're publishing Louis' email in full."I started Wyke in 2010 and finished in 2012. I studied Sports, Psychology, Accounting and Law. My original career choice was either to be a Lawyer or an Accountant as I enjoyed those classes most and the teachers were the ones I was closest too. They had the most influence on me and that's where my interests lied at the time. I'll always remember being in accounting with Nicola Baker and having banter about Man Utd and it was her approach to teaching made me enjoy it the most. When it came around to Uni decision time, I didn't even apply to any universities. I decided that education wasn't for me and instead of continuing into university, I started work as an accountant at an insurance broker. I soon grew to hate that also (not the job so much, just the 9-5, no ambition lifestyle more than anything) and it was around this time my football was somewhat hitting it's prime.I was just selected to play semi professional with North Ferriby and I was also just chosen to be the vice-captain for England Schools u'18s. This really propelled my footballing opportunities and the channels to global football. This is where I was linked to a 'soccer' scholarship program to play in the US. I signed up on a Tuesday, had a trial match in London on Thursday in front of 60 US coaches and by Friday had offers on the table for various colleges over the US. I had good connections with two specifically (Fairfield, CT & Saint Peters, NJ) due to players I played with at England choosing the same route and venturing to the US the year before I did. Both coaches came over to Hull to watch me at North Ferriby and I decided to go with Saint Peters. The college is in Jersey City which is a 10 minute ride into NYC, and that was enough to sell me into the move.I was offered a full scholarship for a 4 year degree in economics, to live on campus and play as a center back. One week after accepting I broke my Patella (knee) and worried if I would be able to make it or if they would rescind the offer as a result. Luckily, I got back to fitness and left in the summer of 2013. I played the first 2 years as a center back before moving into center forward. My junior and senior year I was the captain for the team and was top goal scorer. Through out my collegiate career, I had many chances to play for professional teams and start on the ladder towards being a pro, but none worked out as I wasn't willing to leave a degree and 100s of thousands of dollars behind to pursue - my goal was to stay in America and get a job I love in NYC. I did just that when I decided to get my real estate license and work for a start up brokerage firm selling and renting properties. One of the best things Ive ever done. I saw apartments, houses, penthouses etc that blew my mind. I attended viewings and parties of the mega rich and famous. This opened my eyes to the NYC life and from there I was addicted; I'm never coming home I told myself. Due to visa requirements, I then left to join an English based recruitment firm who had a NYC office and I've been with them since. I've since had a beautiful little girl, Alivya, and now live in my own apartment in Downtown Jersey City.I would re-live my days at Wyke in a heartbeat. There was a feeling of acceptance and unity with Wyke that has never been matched in any endeavor I've had since. Don't get me wrong, I've had some pretty great things since, but Wyke was always a milestone in my life that put me where I am today. It resonated from the upper management staff, through to coaches and assistants and into the teams. From football, to rugby, netball, basketball etc, we were all one, which is hard to find (especially in the US). At the time, Lucid, Julie, Ben, Mike and Gaffa were the ones I was closest to and they are the ones that make Wyke what it is. They respect you and push you - that's everything you need in a coach/mentor. Wyke is certainly an era of my life that will be unmatched. The people I met, the things I/we accomplished, the friends I made, the memories I created, the lessons I learnt... all are some of the best. As cheesy as it is, they are definitely your best days. I still get excited thinking about some of the memories we had as a team there. My biased opinion is that our class of 2012 was a turning point for Wyke's sports and where Wyke started to become a known name in most, if not all, sports."
