A 5 1/2-year paper chase, which was peppered with personal and physical obstacles, ends today when University of Hawai'i football wideout Ian Sample earns a bachelor's degree.

In honor of this achievement, Sample will skip the graduation ceremony and instead serve as a volunteer at the 6th Foster Family Christmas Party in the Blaisdell Center.

"I could have walked (at the graduation)," said Sample, who was raised in New Jersey. "But, to me, it's more special when your family is there. They won't be there. (Not walking) doesn't make a difference. I've got the degree. I don't need to prove anything.

"But I really wanted to do something to celebrate my graduation," he added. "I'm lucky (the party) popped up on the schedule."

This is the Warriors' only off day before preparing for the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Eve. Instead of sleeping in, Sample and several teammates will participate in games and activities with the foster families.

"That's something worthwhile," Sample said. "I don't mind waking up early for that."

During yesterday's practice, Sample wore a "Westwood High Cardinals" T-shirt in tribute to his brother Travis' state championship team.

The Samples adopted Travis through New Jersey's Foster Care program.

"A lot of people say he's adopted, he's not my real brother, but he is," Sample said. "He's been there since Day One."

Sample's parents — Billy, a former major league baseball player, and Debi — began taking in foster children after Debi was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Through the years, the Samples were a foster family to six boys, each treated as a younger brother to Ian and Nikki.

"It was so normal," Ian recalled. "It was like, 'Yeah, we have foster kids. I have a brother for a little while.' "

The most difficult part was saying goodbye.

"It was definitely the hardest on my mom," Ian said. "She grows really attached to them. A lot of times when you let them go, the family decides they want to raise them. And that's always a good thing when the biological parents can take care of their children. If not, a lot of times we'll let them go because someone wants to adopt them. Whenever we have to give them up, it's always for a good reason."

Sixteen years ago, the Samples took in a 6-day-old boy named "Thomas."

A few months later, the Samples were told that Thomas' biological family was putting him up for adoption.

"We grew so attached to him," Ian said. "We had a family meeting. We decided, 'Let's add another member to our family.' He is a real member of our family. The only thing we skipped was the nine months of pregnancy."

When the adoption was finalized, the Samples renamed their new son Travis Thomas Sample.

The Samples remain close and supportive of each other. When Debi's medical problems worsened, Ian dropped out of college for a year to help his mother.

When Ian suffered a broken collarbone in 2004 and then suffered a knee injury in 2005, he received encouragement from his family.

Last week, the Warriors were alerted to today's Christmas party. Sample was one of the first to sign up.

"We know the feeling for a foster kid, of being in different homes," Sample said. "It's not always the best living situations. I'm glad we could do something for them. I feel fortunate, too. It's a great experience to help out anyone you can."

This season, Sample has made a financial sacrifice when he agreed to cede his football scholarship because he needed only two classes to earn a degree. The full scholarship was awarded to another player.

Sample paid for his tuition and school expenses. He uses a bicycle as transportation. Two friends allow him to sleep on their couch.

With his studies complete, Sample is preparing for the rest of his life.

"To tell you the truth, I was scared a couple of months ago thinking about it," he said. "Right now, I have such a strong family and friend base, whatever I decide to do, I'm sure I'll be happy doing it. I couldn't tell you what I'll do, but I'm sure something will pop up."

Sample might receive an opportunity to try out for a football team.

"If the opportunity presents itself, I'll give it 100-percent effort," Sample said. "I like football a lot. It's not everything to me. I have a lot of other options. I'll figure something out."

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