When it comes to being true, at least true to me, one thing I found is that you never let me down. A small piece of a Kanye West song is the sum of all feelings I have for the people that saw me on my way to accomplishing my goals, and contributed.
I refuse to write this farewell letter for myself to look back and smile at, I write this for the people out there who feel as if they have exhausted all options. I write this letter for the students who are going through the toughest time and want to drop out.
On Nov. 18, 2014, I made a status update on Facebook that read, “Why am I not at a university somewhere.” Today, I am just two weeks away from graduating from Thee Jackson State University.
I would like to thank the men and women who saw me running my marathon (shout out to the late Nipsey Hussle), saw my vision, and did what they could to help. At times, the only thing a student wishes for is the encouragement from the ones they love; and several people did that and more for me.
On the outside looking in, outsiders would think that growing up in a black neighborhood means that you will allow negative peer pressure to defeat you. I would really hate to be that guy, but the environment in which I grew up in produced some of the best business minds, and dominant figures in history.
Men and women from urban areas created dominant groups like the Black Panthers, dominant cultures like Hip-Hop, and the will to make something out of absolutely nothing. These are the same urban areas that created me and people like me, and it feels magnificent to be a product of my environment.
To be part of the JSU family is a feeling that I cannot describe. To have been taken in by the Blue & White Flash and form the Flash Mob is an experience that I wish I can share with my peers back home.
If I could say one thing to all incoming freshmen for years to come, it would be to not allow authority figures to limit your talents. Much too often we are trained to lose our uniqueness and think identical to one another.
If we lose the ability to not only think for ourselves but lose our creativity in the process, we lose the bright future that we dreamed of as children. I want you to never allow for a pessimist to change your trajectory because only you know how high your target is.
Also, to all current and future JSU students, learn to create your own opportunities. Unfortunately, there will be a day when you have no sponsors for your idea, and at that moment you should tell yourself “the only person who can stop me is me.”
To my mother, you set the example and the bar. I secretly entered a contest with you to get more degrees than you, and one day I will be successful at that.
To my stepfather, you are the man who showed me the rules of being a man. I thank you for passing on your work ethic to me; it really came in handy during these college days.
To Shannon Tatum, because of you I built an unbreakable bond with people who I probably would have never even known existed.
Finally, to Clement Gibson, Deja Davis, Cianna Reeves, Kalin Norman, Wakil Atig, Elena Williams, and Demetris Valentine, I hope you read my farewell letter and be reminded of the work we put in together. I named the six of you specifically because if no one else, you made me feel like I made the right decision of coming to JSU; I have told you all several times and I will say it once more, you all are destined for great things and I cannot wait to see the great things you all manifest.
In the words of Kanye West “When it comes to being true, at least true to me, one thing I found is that you never let me down.” Thank you all.
Be First to Comment