Junior Bradley Uland reminisces about his past. From helping out around the house and watching his younger siblings, Uland reasonably considered himself responsible, but not enough.

His dad was in the Navy, which meant he moved often.He has lived in places like Washington, San Francisco, and now Stockton. “Everywhere I went I would meet new friends, and then in about a year, I would move again,” he said. “My last move was from Washington. While we stayed there, I got to play football for three years. Then we had to move because of family problems.”

When he was 15 he got put into a foster/group home. “I think I could have fixed it by being more responsible.” His parents could barely take care of him, his three sisters, and his brother. “I actually have a family that’s there for me. I have someone else to go to.” Instead of being negative he sees a new beginning for himself. “I can take care of me instead of being a parent. I can start focusing on school and football and start getting prepared for wrestling.”

This is where he met his close friend Anthony Nichols. He and Uland are both on the varsity football team. “In some ways we are like brothers,” Nichols said. “I’m not going to say I know who he likes, but we fight like brothers.” He and Uland became closer. Uland is a slot wide receiver and Nicoles is a linebacker and a kicker. Uland said, “It’s more like I can count on him on and off the field.” While Nichols said, “I get to understand him more as a person.”

When Uland was still living with his family he used to have to take care of his younger siblings. This meant that he didn’t really have time for a social life. Nichols recalls a time when he and Uland were at the mall just hanging out with another group of guys. When they saw a girl walk by, he didn’t think Uland would talk to her, but he did. That proved that “he can be in my group,” Nichols said. “We had some good times.”

Now 16, Uland doesn’t have any resentment toward his family. In fact, he still keeps in touch with them. He visits his younger siblings every couple of weeks, but says it gets hard to do so with football practice. When he does visit them they may go to a ballgame or just simply get together and catch up.

Uland hasn’t let his past stop him from living now. “I have learned to grow up and take on more responsibilities.”