13 Spring 2022 scholarship to play for the Jackets, and Dean committed to Cedarville. Dean is pursuing his MBA degree at Cedarville and has continued to make strides in his music career between his busy schedule of academics and athletics. “I always get as much done as I can in the summers,” Dean said. “I just write a lot during the school year and then when I get home, I record a bunch.” His family has a home studio back in Minnesota, a luxury that comes with a family that is involved in the music industry. Dean has had the opportunity to perform his music in the spotlight on some big stages in the past few years. “The biggest one I did was a festival called Pulse Twin Cities,” Dean said. “It was a one-day revival in front of 60,000 people, which was the biggest crowd I’ve performed in front of.” “I definitely get more nervous before basketball games though,” Dean said with a laugh. “Music is like I won’t get nervous until 10 seconds before I have to say my first word, but basketball is a different story.” Dean and his sister Celena Lena, who is also involved with music, got the chance to play on Cedarville’s campus this past fall. The sibling duo, who goes by the name “Sis N Lil Bro,” performed at this year’s annual “Moonlight Madness,” which kicked off the Cedarville men’s and women’s basketball seasons. Through all of the obstacles and successes in his life, Dean has remained rooted in his walk with God. “My relationship with Christ is the number one thing above anything else I do,” Dean said.“I try to live out my faith every day, and it’s extremely important to be able to be grounded in your faith.” For now, Dean isn’t sure what the future holds, but he recognizes that the Lord is in control of his life. “I’m not rushing it because I know whatever God’s plan is,” he said, “I’m going to accept it and do it to the best of my abilities.” Josh Decker is a senior Sport Business Management major, and a sports reporter for Cedars. He loves playing sports with friends, and spends much of his free time as a student assistant for the Cedarville men’s basketball team. Graphics By Natalie Cherry
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=