Zachary Silver: Homeless to College Student
“If you are born poor, it is not your mistake, but if you die poor, it is your mistake.” — Bill Gates
Poverty affects much of the population in this country. Many people start out in the worst kinds of situations, but it’s how they recover that defines them as a person.
Zachary Silver, a Bluefield College sophomore from Clifton, Forge, Virginia, did not come from much as a kid. He grew up with his grandparents until the age of 12 and then lived with his mother. Because of issues at home, he would would often sleep on his friends’ couches. After many instances of doing so, parents of his friends would no longer let him stay.
That’s when Silver found himself sleeping in parks and overpasses. The cold nights, he said, made him feel lonely and that he had no one for support and no place to call home.
“I was always out of trouble in season,” said Silver, who at that time played football as one of his outlets, “but when I was out (of football season), I was a punk,” Silver admitted. He recalled multiple times being summonsed to the principal’s office for wrongdoings, to the point the principal told him that he would have to find a sport or get expelled. That’s when he decided to try wrestling, and he instantly fell in love with the sport.
Silver started wrestling in eighth grade. He struggled during the first couple of seasons, but pushed through it. One summer while helping out children at a local youth camp, he learned that his mother had to put him up for adoption for personal reasons. The state told him he would have to go into foster care, but fortunately a local youth pastor offered to let Silver stay with his family, and that’s when his life changed.
“It was awesome to finally have a support system that I could hold to,” Silver said about life with the youth pastor and his family. “It was awesome because they already had a son who was a stud at wrestling to keep me accountable.”
With his newfound support system, Silver joined an off-season wrestling club to add to what he was learning during the regular season. He placed fourth in the district his high school sophomore year and fell just short of qualifying for state competition. During his junior season, he scored a come-from-behind win in a regional match that earned him a spot in state competition. What Silver did not know is that his future college coach, BC’s Jason Waelti, was watching him in that match. Impressed by what he saw, Coach Waelti eventually offered Silver a scholarship to attend Bluefield College.
Beyond wrestling, as a teenager who was homeless, Silver has gone through many challenges as an individual — more than most — making it even more special that he ended up at Bluefield College. His teammates on the wrestling team describe him as “hardworking,” “driven,” and “eccentric.” As a resident advisor on campus, he is known as open and friendly. He knows everyone on his floor, and “if you need anything, he will help you out,” said Garrett Mikula, a resident of Rish Hall.
Silver is studying physical education at BC with a concentration in special education and a desire to one day make a difference in the lives of kids.
“I want to be a P.E. teacher and wrestling coach,” he said, “so that I can also inspire kids, just as my coach did for me.”