Football 1/19/2021 9:00:00 AM MSU Athletics Communications

BEAR MAKERS: Aaron Wiggins

The Morgan State Athletics Department will continue a new feature on morganstatebears.com that will highlight former student-athletes and their accomplishments in their professional careers and the impact they have made on their communities in their personal lives.

At Morgan State Athletics, we strive to arm our student-athletes with the skills to excel far beyond athletics. The Bear Makers series will provide Morgan State Athletics with the support and resources needed to position our student-athletes to succeed on a broader playing field of success.

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Aaron Wiggins was a four-year starter as a member on the Morgan State football team. He played center for his first three years before moving to tackle as a senior. The Cincinnati, Ohio product (Princeton HS) earned All-conference honors as one of the premier offensive linemen in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. His career was highlighted by helping the Bears post a 7-5 record during his sophomore season (2002) – it was Morgan's first winning season since 1979 -- followed by a 6-5 record in 2003 -- marking the Bears first back-to-back winning seasons in over 30 years.

Wiggins earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and earned his Masters of International Enterprise Management from the University of Maryland. He was an active member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and represented on MSU's Fiscal Integrity Committee. He is also a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Following an exemplary collegiate playing career, Wiggins spent seven years as a Director of Operations at America Works of Maryland, before becoming an entrepreneur as a personal trainer and actor. He currently lives in the Atlanta metro area where he started his own production company as the Founder/ CEO of Kaleidoscope Imagery Studios where he's an actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He is married to his wife, Christine, and they have three children: Caleb (7), Abigail (6), and Joshua (4).

Aaron recently spoke to MorganStateBears.com about his time as a student-athlete at Morgan State and his present life living in Atlanta.

wig3

Q+A with Aaron:

Q: What years did you attend Morgan State and what sport(s) did you play?
Wiggins: I attended Morgan State from 2000-2005. I played Center and Offensive Tackle on the football team.

Q: Why did you choose to attend MSU?
Wiggins: I fell in love with the East Coast after an HBCU tour sponsored by my church back home in Cincinnati. I was a sophomore in high school. Baltimore was everything and the harbor was a huge selling point, but the biggest solidifier for me was seeing all the construction that was underway at the time in 1999. I saw the vision and wanted to be a part of growth. No other schools were comparable.

awig — 2002 MSU Homecoming vs. Delaware State

Q: What was your major at MSU and what year did you graduate?
Wiggins: I was a Sociology major and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2005.

Q: Have you obtained a higher level of education since graduating from MSU?
Wiggins: Yes, I earned a Masters of International Enterprise Management from the University of Maryland: University College campus.

Q: Where do you currently live and work?
Wiggins: I currently reside with my family in the metro area of Atlanta, Georgia. Due to the pandemic, my production company and simultaneous software development career are now also located at my residence with ongoing virtual efforts.

Q: Did you always know or predict that your career would be in your current profession?
Wiggins: I had no idea. Honestly the work that I'm doing in the film industry now is a by-product of me working within the sociology field and maintaining a hobby that turned into more than what I could have ever imagined.

Q: How did your time as a student and student-athlete at MSU prepare you for your career and life after college?
Wiggins: It prepared me in everyway. Physically, it helped me to run on autopilot with regards to early morning rising, workout, breakfast, responsibilities, practice, dinner, homework, social time, repeat. So as I began to insert things like running the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, representing on MSU's Fiscal Integrity Committee, Fraternity Life, Modeling, etc. I could see the overall picture of what my days and weeks looked like and fit them in appropriately.

That translated directly to the work environment and life after college. In fact, if it weren't for that regiment and the discipline of consistency, I would have wasted years worth of time and never allowed myself to get involved in what clearly only God had planned for my life. Especially with the acting.

Q: What personal or professional accomplishment(s) are you most proud of since you graduated from MSU?
Wiggins: I have to pat myself on the back for making the best decision of my life, by choosing to attend Morgan State University.

As a result of that decision every moment that I can call an accomplishment is because I decided to leave Ohio. I found my wife Christine, a Lincoln University graduate and member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., through a Greek function as a member of Kappa Alpha Psi after graduation. We have a great life with three beautiful children.

wig1 — Alpha Iota KAPSI line brothers from Morgan State

Early in my professional career within the sociology field of work, I had the opportunity to open several offices on the east coast for the company I worked for. As I transitioned out of the corporate workforce and into entrepreneurship, I had the pleasure and experience to personal train hundreds of clients and create real mental and physical change, including starting the career of two award winning professional body builders.

Over the last 11 years within the film industry I've had the opportunity to work alongside and have heartfelt conversation with acclaimed actors like Common, Taraji P. Henson, Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson, Issa Rae and more. Also partnering with my wife in providing relationship therapy through our weekly podcast, "What's LIKE Got To Do With It?" on www.cruzincradio.com Monday at 8 p.m. est.

Q: What is your best advice for current MSU student-athletes?
Wiggins: GET INVOLVED! Now I could be bias based on my experience, but those who walked away with a negative feeling about their time at Morgan, simply did not immerse themselves in enough activities. In doing so you develop relationships that only bring more value to your experience and your life overall.

Q: What is your favorite memory from your time as a Bear?
Wiggins: Being part of the "Curse Breaking" Bears football team process during the 2000-2004 season. Breaking school records. Going from being the most hated in 2000 to the beloved in 2004. Seeing NFL Hall of Famers Roosevelt Brown, Willie Lanier and Leroy Kelly come back and show love to our team. Watching the energy on campus light up and spreading like wildfire. Birthing the formation of the amazing L-L-L-L- LIVE SQUAD.

Going from the Homecoming Treat to the Homecoming Wreckers.

Being part of the demonstrations in Annapolis at the capital demanding funding for our University.

wig2 — Romany Malco, Aaron Wiggins and Morgan State alum David E. Talbert

Q: Have the relationships you built among your team lasted beyond college?
Wiggins: Absolutely. I'll go even further by saying that the relationships that were built among the entire athletic department have traversed through the years. Especially with the advent of social media. I've been able to share memories and even game footage on YouTube and other platforms.

My brother on the Offensive Line and former roommate Moe Foster (c/o 2004) and his wife Kia (Gross) Foster are God-Parents to two of my three children.

Q: When was the last time you had been to campus? How has the campus changed?
Wiggins: The last time I was on campus was 2014. Just before moving down to Georgia. It was homecoming and the campus was sporting the new library, science department, bridges, student union and sponsorship bricks on the quad. Nothing short of amazing and a sign of the financial blessings that came as a direct result of the alumni giving back after the "23 year losing curse" was broken.

Q: What are some things you enjoy doing in your free time?
Wiggins: I enjoy making music, training, writing scripts and screen plays. I love spending time with my family and friends just hanging out and catching up.

Q: Are you still involved in athletics in some capacity?
Wiggins: My career in the film industry has made it a necessity that I still train in martial arts and now stunts for film. Also a small part of my efforts is in preparation for the day I return to my first love, competitive soccer and swimming.

Q: What motivates you to give back (volunteer, mentor, donate) to MSU Athletics?
Wiggins: I'm motivated by the tremendous experience I had at Morgan and the thought of another kid from the Midwest or West Coast experiencing such an unforgettable and brag worthy experience at a University that shows love like you need as a young adult. With or without athletics, Morgan State University is a great school and Dr. David Wilson is doing phenomenal things with our beloved alma mater. I'm SO GLAD I went to Morgan State!!!

BEAR MAKERS
Lamar West
Mariama Gondo
Tiffany Rubin
Joe Wright
Denikwa Shelby-James
Tawanna Davidson
Yannick Boka
Aloise Shepherd

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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 126 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

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