(770) 565-6494
Become A Partner Donate

Blog

Lutzie 43
November 3, 2020

Categories: PFL Scholarship

MaryBeth Green, 2020 PFL Scholarship Recipient

I am both honored and humbled to be a recipient of the 2020 Prepared for Life Scholarship. I would like to thank the Lutzie 43 Foundation for allowing me to further my education which will allow me to pursue my dreams. In turn, I will be able to use my platform in order to further advocate for this organization as we collectively better our choices.

As a child raised in the great state of Alabama by an “Auburn family”, I was an Auburn fan but, as life has its way sometimes, I was randomly convinced by a friend that the “other” team was the school I should be rooting for and oddly enough, this choice continued over the course of a few years. Truth be told, I have several family members that attended Auburn University so it was only a matter of time before I pushed the “peer pressure” aside and The Loveliest Village on the Plains would yet again gain my heart.

Shortly after “returning home”, my parents took me to a store in downtown Auburn and allowed me to choose a football jersey. I chose number 43. At the time, truthfully, it was a random selection. Hindsight, I had no idea what this number would mean to me and from an even bigger perspective, I realize now that picking-out this jersey was a “God wink”.

I vividly remember the day I heard the gut-wrenching news about Philip Lutzenkirchen. June 29, 2014. I was seventeen years old. I knew things could “happen,” but I wondered, questioned, actually, why God would choose someone so young, someone, in the midst of making a powerful impact and my thoughts took me to my “43” jersey as I’ve worn it many times. In the beginning, it was mere happenstance. Even wearing it to the 2013 National Championship game in Pasadena, California was because I “liked” it but wearing it on June 29, 2014 – that was the day…the moment, rather, that I made a powerful choice: I will do everything in my power to never give anyone the opportunity to take my life, the life of a family member, or the life of a friend too soon. If you are with me, I whole-heartedly accept the responsibility!

MaryBeth Green PFL Winner MaryBeth Green PFL Winner MaryBeth Green PFL 2020

After graduating from Enterprise High School in May 2015, I attended Auburn University. In January 2016, I was provided with an opportunity as a student-worker in the office of the Head Football Coach and Athletics Director. Due to the combination of my innate love of football and my fascinating student-job, this trajectory led me down a path to “Live Like Lutz”, “Love Like Lutz”, and “Learn from Lutz.” Having graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science in May 2019, I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in Sports Administration from Arkansas State University while also being employed with Auburn Sports Properties.

Truth be told, this scholarship was brought to my attention by the one person who fully believes in both my capabilities and my stance more than I ever will, my mom. It was a random “tag” on a Facebook post with a comment saying, “THIS IS SO YOU!” and after delving into it, I could not agree with her more! As a young woman, to say that I fully believe in the mission of the Lutzie 43 Foundation would be an understatement. Everything the foundation and the Prepared for Life Scholarship implements is something that I strive to work for on a daily basis.

Receiving this scholarship is unequivocally more than receiving a check! Receiving this scholarship allows me to not only set the example but also to lead others by having a positive impact. Receiving this scholarship lit a fire inside of me as it solidified my purpose – I am stepping into the path of making a difference and am determined to leave this world a better place!

 

Learn more about MaryBeth and watch her video here.