Dakota Loosemore wins 2016 Auger & Auger Disabled Scholar Award

Texas high school senior Dakota Loosemore knows life isn’t always fair. He experienced a stroke as he was being born, and from then on he has suffered from hemiparesis. Due to this condition, he has a severely limited range of motion and functionality on his right side. What’s more, his right leg is a couple inches shorter than the left. The hemiparesis also slightly affect his face, but it is barely noticeable. While he will continually gain more function and range in his right side, it will never be as strong as his left side. But Dakota refuses to give up.

Dakota is pushing forward to chase his dreams. In the fall, he will be attending Louisiana State University to study Athletic Training. Auger & Auger is proud to help Dakota pursue this goal with our $1,000 Disabled Scholar Award. This scholarship assists with tuition and other expenses as winners work toward their undergraduate degree.

Dakota decided to get his degree in athletic training after he played sports as a kid. He loved playing football, basketball, lacrosse and, his favorite, soccer. He quickly realized he would need to adapt and learn to do things in his own way. But, Dakota says this wasn’t so much of an obstacle as a learning curve. When he realized he couldn’t play sports like he wanted to, he knew he still wanted to be on the field. That’s when he found athletic training.

He spent a few years in high school as a trainer, winning multiple awards. He will continue his role as an athletic trainer at LSU, and his work there will pay for his two years pursuing a master’s degree after graduating. After he finishes his education, Dakota plans to move back to Texas, where high school sports are king. He wants to help young athletes achieve their dreams of playing sports, since he wasn’t able to.

Dakota says he couldn’t have made it this far without the encouragement of his dad. His dad made sure Dakota was able to do everything he wanted to. He was never told he couldn’t do something. Rather, his dad let him learn his boundaries on his own. Dakota says he was also inspired by his dad’s life. Even though his father never went to college, he worked 20 years to take of his family to make sure they had everything they wanted.

To anyone reading this post, Dakota has a message: Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t do something. As Shia LeBeouf said, don’t let your dreams be dreams. If there is something you want to achieve, even if it seems impossible, never stop pursuing it. With the help of the Auger & Auger Disabled Scholar Award, Dakota plans to do just that.