For Antonio Hall, a 6-6, 299-pound junior offensive tackle at the University of Kentucky, a trip to a college football game when he was in middle school made all the difference in his future.

Now a gifted opera singer majoring in music education and excelling on the gridiron for the Wildcats, Hall has created a mentoring program for middle-school students that he hopes will give them the same glimpse of the future he had.

Hall designed the Complete College Experience, a one-day mentoring program for middle-school students to give them a chance to see the many benefits of college before they undergo the peer pressures and demands of high school. The mentoring program promotes the importance of continuing education and athletics and also provides a look at the real college experience.

"When I was in the eighth grade, I was a knucklehead sometimes," Hall said. "But a teacher took an interest in me and took me to a University of Pittsburgh football game. I knew after watching those guys that I wanted to be a student-athlete, and I didn't want to do anything in high school to mess that up."

The goals of the CCE program are three-fold: to expose middle-school students to college life, not just in athletics but in academics and culture; to inspire them to set goals to make the grade on and off the field throughout their high-school careers; and to provide a window to show the endless opportunities for them once they get to college.

"Antonio came to me and expressed his interest to get this started because of his experience when he was in middle school," said Lisa Buchanan, outreach coordinator at Kentucky. "He wanted to give the kids the same opportunity that he had. He's done an incredible job spearheading this program."

Twenty middle-school students participated in the program this July. Hall recruited about 10 other Kentucky student-athletes to provide assistance in implementing the program. In addition to interaction with the student-athletes, the youngsters had the chance to tour campus facilities and see what was available in athletics, the arts and academics. The tour included Kentucky athletics facilities, the Singletary Center arts museum and also the College of Engineering.

One highlight of the experience for many of the youngsters was getting to hear Hall sing an aria in Italian from the opera, The Marriage of Figaro.

Kentucky head coach
Guy Morriss also addressed the youngsters, speaking to them about the many opportunities in college and the path they must take to reach them.

T.C. Johnson, the youth service center coordinator at Winburn Middle School, said the program would make a real difference in the lives of many youngsters.

"This program is so beneficial because a majority of our students have never been on a college campus," Johnson said. "CCE will bring more of an awareness of the partnership between athletics and academics. The earlier we can allow these middle-school students to experience the opportunities of higher education, it may motivate them to do better."

Hall hopes to play professional football, but he also plans to teach music to children once his football career is over.

"Antonio has come to our school several times and the kids enjoy talking to him. We call him the 'gentle giant," Johnson said. "They ask him so many questions, and what surprises them the most is when he talks about his classes and how one of the main reasons he chose Kentucky was for its music program. When they think of athletics, they don't think of the education part," Johnson said, noting that he hoped CCE would help change that thinking.

Hall hopes the program will continue and grow even after he graduates from Kentucky.

"If it hadn't been for my experience as an eighth grader, I'm not sure I would have been serious enough about high school to even make it to college," Hall said. "When you have a goal to work toward, it helps you stay focused. My goal was to become a college football player and study music, and now I'm doing both. If CCE helps just one student achieve his or her goals, then it's all worth it."