There’s a lot to learn in the classroom at Western, but when it comes to life, senior center Cody Hughes said he’s planning more on applying what he learned on the football field.

Hughes, who carries a passion for athletic and weight training, plans to graduate next May with a degree in exercise science, but he said five seasons on Western’s offensive line will leave a lasting impression.

“The work ethic, the morals and the values that football has taught me is something that will stay with me,” Hughes said. “I’ll forget algebra. I’ll forget Shakespeare. The ability to work well with others, the ability to work with a team — that, I’d say, is the biggest skill in terms of what football has been able to teach me.”

After graduation, Hughes said he’d like to go to work for others — first with the incoming football coaching staff as a strength and conditioning coach and later at his own gym for teenage athletes.

Although the fifth-year senior understands nothing is guaranteed with a new staff, Hughes said his goals — as well as working for free — should win them over.

“Being a strength and conditioning coach, you have a chance to be hands-on with every single individual within the football program,” Hughes said. “I want to be able to build the character of young men — to influence lives for the better.”

Hughes wasn’t always the man he is today, Head Coach David Elson said.

Elson said Hughes came in with a “proverbial chip on his shoulder,” looking to earn a scholarship and prove he could play.

Hughes did, and now Elson said his center has matured to the point where he can be the one to guide other players in similar situations.

“He’s a guy that he really wants to be successful at whatever he does,” Elson said. “Whoever it is that he’s coaching or teaching or working in the weight room with — they’re going to get his best, and that’s what people want.”

Should Hughes’ dream of owning his own gym become a reality, offensive coordinator Walter Wells said he sees it prospering.

“He’ll succeed in everything he wants to do and be a success with kids,” Wells said. “He’s really good with my kids when he’s around them, and they’re young right now, but he’ll be really good with teenage kids, guiding them through life.”

Hughes grew up in a split household where things didn’t come easy to him and nothing was a given, he said.

Using that experience, Hughes said he possesses the intangibles to make things better for other people in rough situations.

“I don‘t know what it is about my personality, but I just feel like I always have the right thing to say in the right situation,” Hughes said. “I feel like there’s nothing I can’t say to a person to motivate them to do something.”