It’s Aug. 13 2024, and Mingus Allen ‘25 is navigating his first day of senior year at John Burroughs high school in Burbank. With new classes, new classmates and a new football team to play with, Allen is excited by all of the change. He prepares for a full semester at his new school where he gets to play the sport he loves. When his senior year is over, however, he will be at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, graduating with his Campbell Hall classmates with whom his high school career began.
Although he’s attended Campbell Hall since fifth grade, Allen knew immediately he would switch schools upon hearing about the cancellation of the football program. However, he plans to transfer back in the second semester, once football season is over. At John Burroughs, he wants to use his senior year to not only play football, but to get offers to play in the future that otherwise would have been absent at Campbell Hall this year.
“Since I’ve been at Burroughs I’ve already received a couple offers to some division three schools,” Allen said. “At Campbell Hall, I had no opportunity to play at the next level because [I was] going to miss [my] whole senior season. Switching schools gave me the best opportunity to have a chance to play football [in] college.”
Allen knew the next step for him by the end of junior year; he worked alongside his family and coaches to determine a school that was sufficient for his athletic development and goals. Enthusiastic about the transition and the opportunity to continue playing during his senior year, he immediately got to work to make this change successful and worthwhile.
“We instantly reached out to some schools, [and] some schools reached out to me,” Allen said. “We talked to coaches and figured out what place would be the best fit for me so I could continue playing. [My parents] agree to my decision to transfer [because] they just [want] a place that fits me.”
When Allen settled on John Burroughs as his school of choice, he was ready to embrace all of the change that came with it: shorter classes, an earlier start time, and a larger high school student body. However, the biggest differentiation between the two schools is the culture surrounding football.
“The Burroughs football team is far bigger, with almost double the amount of people on varsity,” Allen said. “The players are considerably bigger too, with most of our lineman being 250lbs plus. More people are more bought in [to the games, as well as] the school as a whole. Home games are always packed, there is a lot of support, and football is a big part of all of the players’ lives.”
Amidst all of the change, Allen remains certain that he made the right choice. Having played different variations of football, such as flag and tackle, on different teams since he was six years old, he knew from a young age that he would turn the sport into a career. As a result, he feels that being able to play his senior year is worth the transition between schools.
“It’s something that I really enjoy and plan to do moving forward,” Allen said. “It’s something I’ve been doing since I was really young [because] I find a lot of fun in it. I have the opportunity to play at the next level, and that contributed to attending a new school.”
However, Allen knew that he wanted to return to the sense of belonging and familiarity he had at Campbell Hall. To Allen, the significance of Campbell Hall in his life was the driving factor in his decision to return and graduate with the class of 2025.
“All my friends go there; the people I’ve grown up with since I was little are there,” Allen said. “I absolutely love the community. I want to graduate with the people I know. [I’m] already in the swing of things here, but I’m excited to come back and see everyone again [in the] second semester.”
