Pictured above is me with one of the friends I have made during the first semester at Lehigh University.

Essay 3 N.W.A. Final

The link above is to my third and final essay in English 11. The essay goes in depth on the issues of blacks vs. whites and police brutality, as well as music’s influence on the issues at hand.

John’s Resume 

My resume is attached in the link above. The activities and achievements on my resume are a culmination of my life up until college. I am hoping to be able to look back at this resume after my years at Lehigh to see all of the experiences that I gained throughout my time here.

It was on a Saturday in December that my friends and I decided to trek to New York City to attend the biggest sneaker convention in the country, Sneaker Con. We were on the hunt for a pair of 1999 black and red Jordan 4 basketball shoes. I had never loved an object more than these, had never stared at a computer screen so obsessively. As I navigated through the thousands of avid sneaker collectors, all holding up their shoes and shouting their prices, I heard the excitement of my friend. He had found the shoes. “How much?” I asked. $220. Done. Sold. But little did I know how much this transaction would teach me, both in terms of business practices and forging relationships.

Seconds after consummating the deal, the Legit Checker informed me that the shoes were fake. I was punked; my stomach sunk. I had officially made my first bad investment. This scam could not have been a better wake-up call. I knew that if I was going to be a wise investor, I would need to make smarter, more considered decisions. Since then, I have never made an impulse buy. Rather, I have sought out references for each seller and done extensive research on the shoes, scouring the internet for ones that were under market and with a high resale value. As a result, my hobby has turned into a legitimate, revenue-generating business.

Initially, this business was with peers with whom I had a lot in common: all white, all upper middle class, all kids. But once the local market had become saturated, I needed to expand to the internet and a whole new world opened. Privileged students became the minority, while black, middle-aged men became the common purchaser. Increasingly, I found myself dealing with people who were unlike me. Take Brian, for instance. Brian was forty-years-old, mixed-race, and married with two kids. Although our conversations were initially centered around selling sneakers, they slowly shifted to focus on other areas of our lives. We talked about our favorite sports teams, his time in the military, and even his kids. Most importantly, we were able to help each other in times of need. For example, when he was dealing with a back injury, I worked with him to find a shoe buyer in order to help fund his surgery. When I reflect on this moment, I am reminded of how different our worlds are: he needed to sell his shoes to pay for necessary expenses, while I was only worried about my spending money. It was a culture shock, an illustration of how daily life can be fundamentally affected by different life stations. And it was from my shoe business that I was able to learn these lessons and broaden my outlook.

Thinking back to that first sneaker convention in New York, I realize that I have evolved. All I wanted then was a pair of real red and black Jordan 4’s. And even though that didn’t turn out as planned, I gained so much more. On the one hand, I grew as an entrepreneur: the loss of money and utter embarrassment pushed me to learn how to build a profitable business. On the other, I grew as a person: shoes drove me beyond my East Coast, suburban bubble, expanding my worldview and altering my perspective. Without sneakers, and all the experiences that have come with them, I would not be the person I am today – someone who is hungry to learn and grow in an environment unlike his own.

Welcome to the Journey of John Sandberg. This blog will take you through the transition of graduating from high school through his first year in college.