U City Fourth Grader Overcomes Selective Mutism to Win MLB Essay Contest

Out of 18,700 entries, an essay from a fourth-grader at Jackson Park Elementary School stood out.

Xavier Morgan-Gillard, one of four first-prize winners in the country, wrote about how he overcame selective mutism, a type of social anxiety that made him afraid to talk to anyone outside of his family as a kindergartener.

He needed confidence in himself—just like groundbreaking Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson did 50 years ago. 

Xavier's essay was titled “What Jackie Robinson and I Have in Common.”

See more photos on University City Patch's Facebook page.

Sharon Robinson, author and daughter of Jackie Robinson, said the number of entries was "truly phenomenal" and a great tribute to her father.

"The volumne and breadth of the essays speak to a number of challenges that many of our young people face, and I am honored that they used the values my father instilled in me to overcome difficult situations in their lives."

Robinson visited Jackson Park Tuesday and presented Morgan-Gillard and his classroom teacher with new laptops. Xavier also got to go the St. Louis Cardinals game with Robinson that night.

Fredbird also put in an appearance at school Tuesday. 

He read his essay to his fellow students at the assembly.

“I am in the student council, on a robotics team, play soccer, baseball, piano and cello. When something is hard for me,” he wrote, “I think about Jackie Robinson and how he overcame his barriers, which helps me overcome mine.”