Xavier Wilborn’s mom never saw him ride his bike for the first time. She never saw him score his first touchdown. She never saw him take his first steps.

Xavier Wilborn’s mom died when he was two months old.

After the death of his mother, Wilborn, a Louisiana native, left his home to live in Arlington so he could receive more opportunities and a better education.

“I wish she could have seen me play football. I wish she could have seen me ride my bike for the first time,” freshman Wilborn said. “Everything I do is for my mom.”

When Wilborn went to school, his friends told him about all the things their parents could do, but he could never replied. He didn’t have a mom and his dad had left. But he still didn’t know where they were or what had happened.

“My aunt took me in, she’s sort like a mother figure to me,” Wilborn said. “She told me when I was about four or five and I didn’t really understand it then.”

Although Wilborn had a large extended family, they decided at a meeting his aunt would be the one to obtain guardianship because of her residence and occupation as a teacher.

“If he had remained in Louisiana after the death of his mother, he would probably have lived with his grandmother who would not have been able to provide some of the things that he has been exposed to,” Wilborn’s aunt Lula Daniel said. “His grandmother now lives with me, so he gets the benefit of her wisdom.”

After her parents separated, Ms. Daniel lived with her aunt and honors her memory by giving back through Wilborn. She also wished to honor her sister by helping Wilborn become dedicated and focused.

“Xavier is a wonderful young man who is a blessing to my life,” Ms. Daniel said. “She would have been so proud of his ability to accept criticism and not let it define who he is or what he wants to achieve for himself.”

While Ms. Daniel puts long hours out her church, she sees Wilborn doing the same with his academics and extracurricular activities.

“He is so very talented and has much to offer this world,” Wilborn’s aunt Lula Daniel said. “My prayer is that I don’t fail him because I believe he was born for greatness and the death of his mother was for a divine purpose.”

With a smile and chubby cheeks like his mom’s, her legacy lives on in Wilborn’s appearance and personality.

“He reminds me of his mother because once he sets his mind to achieving a goal he stays focused and works hard to achieve it,” Ms. Daniel said. “I am proud that he cares so much about his academics.”

When Wilborn visits his family in Louisiana he also visits his mother, leaving flowers on her grave.

“Now that I look back on it, I see she isn’t going to die in vain,” Wilborn said, “because her dying opened up doors for me.”