First in the Family: Cotton hopes his graduation spurs on the next generation

Growing up as a young athlete in Sacramento, TraJon Cotton's biggest supporter was his grandma Trudy.

She was on hand to witness his finest moments on the football field at Inderkum High as he worked his way to becoming one of the top three safeties in California, a two-time all-metro selection, and a league MVP.

As the baby boy in the family, her support gave him motivation on the field and in the classroom, cheering him on after graduating high school as he made his way to Corvallis, where he started his career at Oregon State before moving to Montana. Support that motivates him to this day.

"She was the rock of our family and is who I do it for," he says.

But there are two events she wasn't able to attend. Events that might have made her prouder than any of his prior accomplishments.

On Saturday, Cotton will become the first member of his family to graduate college, and it's not his first time doing it.

When he walks across the stage in the Adams Center, he'll officially graduate from the University of Montana for a second time, having completed a master's degree in public administration on top of an undergraduate degree in public health.

It's an achievement his mother, Audrey Cotton, knows would have made Trudy beam with pride.

"We lost my mom in 2018. She was his number one fan, and I know that she would be so happy right now to see his accomplishment. I just know that she's looking down on him and smiling," she said.

Even though Trudy isn't here to see her youngest grandson walk across that stage for a second time and prepare to build on an already successful football career, the Cotton family still has much to celebrate.

"They're extremely proud. My mom and dad try to brag on me any time they can," TraJon said.

"I think they're just extremely grateful to see that I stayed the course and actually did it."

Being the first to graduate in any family is a big deal. But for Audrey, who raised six kids as a teen mom, it's not a surprise. After all, she was the one that made sure education came first before sports after seeing some of her older kids struggle in school.

"I just want to praise him for sticking with it, digging through, and just getting this accomplishment. It's huge for our family. We're all very proud of him," she said.

"I stayed on him about school. School was the main priority, and then on top of that, he was in sports. He knew the only way he could go to college, play sports, and maybe get a scholarship was to stay on top of his grades."

And stay on top of his grades is exactly what he did.

Throughout his college career Cotton has maintained a 3.0 GPA or better while balancing the rigors of academia with the demands of college football without breaking a sweat.

"He didn't even make it seem like school was hard," said Audrey.

"A lot of us didn't make it this far, maybe because we assumed how difficult things may be. But he has never once felt like it's something that he could not achieve, and that just makes our family feel really good."

With one final season of football with the Griz ahead of him, Cotton is not resting on his laurels.

He'll return to the classroom this fall to earn a certificate in entrepreneurship from the UM College of Business, and he'll return to the field with his sights set on a championship season and a future in professional football.

He's proud to be the first in his family to earn a degree, and he gives credit where credit is due.

"It feels good. It's an accomplishment. When I graduated high school, I never really thought about leaving college with a master's degree or anything. I was just kind of focused on the league. But I always took my academics into account though because I know it's a great backup plan, and I always want to set myself up for the future. But it just feels great. I feel accomplished," said TraJon.

"My mom and dad kind of instilled that in me, and when I went to college, it was like, 'You better leave with that degree.' So that's always been on my mind and always been my goal. Master's degree really wasn't in the plan, but as long as I've been in college, I just made sure that academics were good, and I just kept pushing myself."

As important as being the first to graduate from college is and has been to Cotton, he wants to use his experience as a motivator for the next generation.

With a whopping eight nieces and nephews looking up to him, he knows how far his accomplishments have gone toward helping them focus on school to make a better life for themselves.

"They come to all my games, and they've seen my whole journey in college. So, for that next generation to see what I've been able to do is just extremely important for me," said TraJon.

"Some people don't get out of Sacramento at all. I've been to Oregon, I've been to Montana, and who knows where I'm going to be next. So, just showing that there's more out there, I feel like it's good for my nieces and nephews and my cousins and all that to experience these things and to see that it's possible."

Audrey has seen his success influence the next generation firsthand.

"The oldest nephew, he was there when we first dropped TraJon off at college, and that was just the greatest thing for him. Ever since then, he has sent me his grades. You know, 'look at my grades, grandma!' and stuff like that. So, he's, he's focused, he sees where his uncle is in life. He wants to go that route," she said.

"All of them look up to him. They really look up to him, and they know where he's at. They know he's in college. They know that their goal is to also be in college, and he really put that in their vision."

As the new matriarch of the Cotton family, Audrey also feels a sense of pride when she thinks about TraJon and the impact he's having on the youngsters.

Now as the family moves forward, it's almost as if her prayers have been answered.

"I feel accomplished in myself, just making sure he saw his education through. It makes me feel good that other children in my family are coming up like my children," she says.

"I just feel like our family is going to transition to how TraJon is, and to go forward that way. I can't wait to see the rest of them grow up like that.

"That's the prayer."

For that, Trudy would surely be proud.

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First in the Family: Cotton hopes his graduation spurs on the next generation

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