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Elizabeth Duncan
Staff Writer

Jackson State University students have been missing home lately. Home is more than just a brick building that you sleep in every night. Home is a place where you make memories with the ones you love and that will stick with for a lifetime. 

As we prepare to go on Thanksgiving/fall break, students on campus took the time to share some of their favorite memories, heartwarming stories, and lessons they have had with their family. 

Mason Rollins, a freshman political science major from Baltimore, Md., recalls the time that he and his dad took a trip to New York and shared a beautiful father/son bonding moment. 

“Okay, so my dad and I are huge “Stranger Things” fans. He was getting ready to move to New York and found out that there was a “Stranger Things” experience, which is an interactive event. The event puts you in the world of “Stranger Things” as if you were a part of the show,” stated  Rollins.

Living on a college campus away from home for an extended period is not always easy, especially as a first-time freshman. Spending time with family is important to Jania Walker, a freshman journalism and media studies major from Atlanta, Ga. 

“After experiencing one of the greatest homecomings of all time, my mother and my little brother traveled from Atlanta, Ga. to come visit me,” exclaimed Walker. 

Further expressing how much she values her family, Walker stated “It was extremely heartwarming for me because I have not seen them in almost over a month. Moments like that we need the most. I am grateful that I am able to share my story and that I have a family that loves me in every way.”

Around this time of year many people feel nostalgic as they prepare to make new memories with their families during the holiday season.  Samea Dockery, a freshman criminal justice major from Chicago, Ill., discussed the time she and her family went on vacation.

“My whole family and I took a trip to Myrtle Beach. This was a chance we got to meet new people, laugh with each other, and try new things together as a family. It was a good experience because everyone was happy, and we got to enjoy ourselves. There was never a dull moment when I was with them.” noted Dockery

Dockery also shared a heartwarming moment she had with her family and late grandmother.

“Before my grandmother passed, we got a chance to make her happy for her 58th birthday. She always wanted her children and grandchildren to be happy and we wanted the same for her. I am happy we got to do that before she died,” Dockery said.

Family teaches us lessons that we are able to carry with us for years. Family also plays a hand in who we are as people. 

“Growing up, my mom was an educator in East St. Louis, which is a predominantly black and poor community, the same community she grew up in. She has been an educator for over 30 years and she is instilled in me, my brother, and my sister, the importance of academics and education,” said Jordan Brown, a sophomore business marketing major from Belleville, Ill., as he recalled some of the vital lessons his mom taught him. 

Brown went on to further discuss his mother’s disciplined and education-based behavior.”

I remember getting up early in the summer ready to go outside and play with my friends in the neighborhood when my mom would stop me at the door and have a book of math and English problems with a certain number I had to complete before going outside,” said Brown.

Although Brown couldn’t comprehend what felt like punishment at the time, he has since gone on to appreciate his mother’s rules and wants to share these lessons with those around him. 

“She knew that because of my skin color, I would have to work ten times as hard in this world to be able to accomplish what my white counterparts would, and that preparation is an essential tool in life. It is because of her dedication to my education that I have been able to be a well-rounded student serving in student leadership and being on the Dean’s list. I hope to carry on her lessons to those around me and make her proud,” stated Brown. 

Every lesson learned and every moment had with family isn’t guaranteed to be understood or even liked, but they are imperative to who we are as people. We all have a story, consider sharing your family’s story this November during recognition of National Family Stories month.

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