On April 28, the Baltimore Ravens signed recent Grand Valley State University alumni Matt Judon as the first of their 11 total draft picks. After agreeing to a $2.595 million deal, Judon will most likely be used as an outside linebacker in the pros.

However, before Judon achieved every college football player’s dream, he was walking through the Kirkhof Center and practicing in Lubbers Stadium. We want to congratulate Judon on his success and wish him all the best in Baltimore.

Though it seems as though the headlines are often full of violence and negativity focused around NFL players, we are excited for Judon to take this opportunity to make the Laker community proud. With the fame and acknowledgement that comes with being a professional athlete also comes the chance to portray and encourage certain behaviors and character traits, traits that we try and encourage on the GVSU campus.

We hope that his time in the NFL reflects his time at GVSU. We hope his actions both in the NFL and outside of the NFL reflect well on the community we make up at GVSU. From respect and tolerance for all people, to the value of a liberal education, to sustainability and care for the environment, we hope Judon exhibits for the world the wonderful things that GVSU stands for. We hope one day we will all be proud to point to the television screen and tell our friends, “That’s Matt Judon, we went to the same university!”

In addition to showing off our university, we hope Judon has the chance to build his own future and his own legacy. Like all GVSU graduates, Judon enters the world now as an adult making his own decisions that reflect on his own personality and judgement. We wish him well in doing so and hope that his time at GVSU has helped partially to shape the person he has come to be.

We hope that having Judon in the NFL will encourage good football and all sports players to come to GVSU in the future. Even though GVSU is a Division II school, our sports teams perform at the highest level with the utmost respect for other players and teams. Judon will hopefully carry this throughout the NFL with him and his career.

When Judon dons that Baltimore Ravens purple as the summer air turns to the crisp autumn winds of football season, we wish Judon the best in his next phase in life. When he puts that jersey on, we hope he remembers the life lessons and character he learned while wearing Laker Blue.

After all, it’s just a few shades lighter than his new apparel.