By Amy Barkman, ENGL 336.003
Not many people can say they made the news as a child. Well, 19-year-old Brandon Jonathan Kelly did just that. When he was four or five years old, he was involved in a bad automobile accident, during which he shattered his left leg.
The young Kelly had just returned from the store with his family. As they took their purchases into the house, the child found his way into the driver's seat of the family car and began playing with the shifter, knocking the vehicle into gear and causing it to drift down a hill. As the car picked up speed, Kelly remembers being frightened and trying to get out, smashing his leg between the car and a curb. He wore a cast for about four months, but all that remains now of the accident is a scar under his left leg and the memories of that painful day.
Despite his once shattered leg, Kelly participated enthusiastically in track for four years, as well as football for a year at his local high school. The accident didn't affect his running skills. Sports have always been a huge part of this young adult's life. As a child, he also took karate classes.
Born and raised in Baltimore, Md., Kelly, now a sophomore at Frostburg State University, is majoring in athletic training. He hopes to work in rehabilitative sports medicine or as a high school athletic trainer. Kelly chose to attend Frostburg as an opportunity to branch out and see what life is like outside of Baltimore.
He also took part in the Baltimore Bear Plunge, a fundraiser for the Special Olympics, as a high school senior, in which he and a group of fellow students ran out into 40 degree water at an Eastern Shore beach in mid-January.
There's more to Kelly than sports, as he's spent some time volunteering for the American Red Cross, and was a manager at Rita's Italian Ice in Towson this past summer, both of which he says, "were good experiences." "I love helping people," Kelly said, smiling. he enjoys giving advice and feels he is a good listener. Kelly also has a passion for music, saying he enjoys all different types. "I'm an iPod fanatic, and Tupac is my favorite rapper. I love music because it eases my mind and helps me to relax. My iPod is pretty much my best friend, considering it's been there for me since the day I got it." he said, laughing.
When he's not in school, Kelly lives with his mother, their two pitbulls: Brutus and Tiger, and two cats. He enjoys trying new things, saying, "I try not to do the same thing all the time." In his free time, he likes bowling, seeing movies, taking day trips and hanging out with his long time best friend, Jeff. When asked if he has a girlfriend, Kelly replied enthusiastically, "Nope, I'm single as a dollar!" This bachelor also enjoys cooking, especially chicken parmesan, and writing poetry and short stories. Kelly describes his writing as, "whatever I'm feeling."
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