Husker Sophomore Receiver Gilleylen Dares to Be Different

By Lindsay Erwin, Nebraska Life Skills Assistant

"Be comfortable in your own skin, be true to yourself. Do something off the track from your circle of friends. People who love you will always support you" - that's the message that Nebraska sophomore wide receiver Curenski Gilleylen tries to live by and wants to render for others.

A self-proclaimed, atypical student-athlete, Gilleylen prides himself on his differences. He, for instance, carries a bright pink backpack with a Hello Kitty decal. When he was in high school, he took dance classes, including hip hop, jazz and ballet. He credits a lot of his success to his faith and his mother.

"Dare to be different," he says.

Born in Austin, Texas, Gilleylen graduated from Leander High School in the Lone Star State. He is now a Civil Engineering major at NU with aspirations of working in Europe and developing cities.

A fantastic leader on and off the field, Gilleylen participates in a variety of volunteer opportunities. He has been a feature speaker during School is Cool and American Education Weeks and has presented to Lincoln Public School (LPS) students on the importance of education and working hard to achieve your dreams.

He participates in campus Bible study groups and is active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He also has committed to being a mentor to a student within LPS through the Husker ConNect program, so he meets with his mentee once a week to share common interests and activities.

Balance the focus of daring to be different

Yes, Curenski Gilleylen goes above and beyond to balance his time between academics, athletics and outreach events. But, he says, that's what daring to be different is all about.

Not many Husker football players have a passion for performance arts, especially dance, but Gilleylen paved that passion with dance classes throughout middle school and high school. One of his greatest accomplishments was winning a solo performance in state dance competition in Dallas.

"I never was teased. My male peers were very encouraging." Gilleylen said. "Being the only male in the dance classes, you get put up front and center and receive a lot of attention."

The spotlight is not something that Gilleylen seeks or enjoys, and it feeds his mantra to be different.

Besides, dance has helped him learn to appreciate all forms of art, and it has helped him stay the course in football when he had his share of the spotlight, lost it and then worked his way back into the lineup.

Ted Gilmore, his receivers coach, is also the man who recruited him. "Nebraska wasn't even on my radar when I first started looking at colleges to attend," Gilleylen said, recalling how snow covered the ground when he made his recruiting visit from Texas to Lincoln.

He was so focused on the snow that he didn't really think about the advantages of Lincoln, Nebraska, until he arrived back home. He could see that NU coaches cared about him as a person, and they were trustworthy. But the real reason Gilleylen decided select Nebraska was "the coaches targeted my mother," he said. "She's the one who had the final okay before I could commit to a school."

Student Life Center the hub of the action

Support from his coaches and teammates influenced Gilleylen's decision to become a Husker. So did the Hewit Student Life Center, which is getting a nearly $9 million facelift between now and next fall. "The people here are very positive," Gilleylen said. "They truly care about you as a person and want to see you succeed. At Nebraska, I have the ability to learn and grow."

Gilleylen dreams big. Once he earns a Bachelor of Science degree at NU, he intends to move quickly in pursuit of his master's.

For Gilleylen, time management is critical because it isn't easy to balance football with a demanding class load. Sleep is another sacrifice. Sure, he wishes he had more time for dance, piano and other interests but when you dare to be different, you also make sure you take care of your most important priorities.

A true inspiration to many, Gilleylen epitomizes what it means to be a Husker student-athlete through his relentless drive to exceed expectations ... every day.

To him, daring to be different isn't striving to be an All-American, but putting team goals ahead of your own - goals like a Big 12 championship and a BCS bowl game. Those two accomplishments eluded the Huskers in 2009, but don't necessarily count on that happening again next year.

Like so many other Huskers, Curenski Gilleylen is ready to move heaven and earth to help Nebraska win the league and climb in next season's ratings. He sees that goal as another dare that will produce a different outcome.