A son Of Amazing Immigrant Parents, Spartan Football’s 2016 DT Commit Mike Panasiuk is Truly Living: The American Dream!

A son Of Amazing Immigrant Parents, Spartan Football’s 2016 DT Commit Mike Panasiuk is Truly Living: The American Dream!

In an era when football and basketball recruits are sometimes contacted by coaches as early as middle school, Mike Panasiuk is a rarity.

The 6-3 285 pound defensive tackle from Roselle, Illinois has only been playing the game since the eighth grade.

A natural ability and an unnatural motor catapulted Panasiuk to the top of the recruiting circuit for Illinois, and ultimately landed him with Michigan State.

“I didn’t know I was going to be in the position I am now, with the strength I have now,” he said.

It didn’t take long for him to find out just how great he could be. Panasiuk said it started when he was moved up to his high school sophomore team as a freshman.

“I noticed that I was more skilled than a couple of people on the team, stronger, I was born with a gift,” he said. “Freshman year I kind of noticed that.”

With some digging into Panasiuk’s background, it can be easy to see why football wouldn’t have been on his mind as a kid. His parents immigrated to the United States from Poland when they were just 18-years-old.

Without much of a formal education, his parents had to work hard to achieve success in a new land, a work ethic that has been passed down to Panasiuk on the field and in the classroom. His parents are amazing people forged out of the same character and work ethic that has built America.

“That’s kind of where I get it from,” he said. “My parents worked hard all their life and still are working hard to give me and my brothers a better life.”

Now, through the efforts of Panasiuk his parents can send their oldest son to college for free.

“My parents knew what a scholarship was, but they didn’t really understand that everything I got was for free,” he said. “They’ve really thanked me for the amount of work that I’ve done, and making things easier for them.”

The majority of the debt of thanks, according to Panasiuk, is still from him to his parents for the sacrifices they made.

“I’m thankful to them everyday,” he said.

CLICK HERE TO HEAR PANASIUK'S ENTIRE INTERVIEW ON SPARTAN NATION RADIO!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH PANASIUK'S HIGHLIGHT VIDEO