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<\/a>Candace Chambers<\/strong> Dressed in a bronze blazer, pink collared shirt, blue and white polka dot tie, and light blue faded jeans, Fonzworth Bentley expressed his \u201cswagger\u201d through his unique style of dress and words of wisdom at the Black College Day celebration held on Sept. 25th.<\/p>\n Black College Day, first celebrated in 1980 in Washington D.C., draws attention to the successes and goals of Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the nation. Bentley, whose birth name is Derek Watkins, started in the entertainment business at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. with mentor Bill Cosby. He studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and became a popular ma\u00eetre d in New York City.<\/p>\n He received his famous moniker from music mogul Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs\u2019 while serving as his high profile assistant.\u00a0 Bentley has also appeared in many music videos including \u201cI Like the Way You Move\u201d by Outcast, and served as a mentor on MTV\u2019s \u201cMaking the Band 2,\u201d along with much more influential work.<\/p>\n He guides his life with these words of Morehouse alumnus, Benjamin E. Mays, \u201cWhatever you do, strive to do it so well that no man living and no man dead, and no man yet to be born can do it any better.\u201d<\/p>\n After receiving a standing ovation, Bentley commended the audience\u2019s mass presence and instructed everyone to hug at least seven people in the room. The Morehouse graduate also stated that\u00a0 he believes HBCUs should be embraced as monuments.<\/p>\n Reading an excerpt from the introduction of his book, \u201cAdvance your Swagger: How to use Manners, Confidence, and Style to Get Ahead,\u201d he gave the following tips for success: set high goals, sow seeds of faith, show integrity, and align oneself with people who are going in the same direction.<\/p>\n Emphasizing the importance of appearance, character, and most of all faith,\u00a0 the audience was challenged to think like CEOs and market themselves in the global economy.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery opportunity is an opportunity for another opportunity,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n Several students expressed their appreciation and gratitude for Bentley\u2019s appearance at Jackson State\u2019s Black College Day.<\/p>\n LaBriea Thurman, a senior political science major from Greenwood, Miss. said, \u201cI loved his realness. He spoke of God. He understood our needs and feelings of insecurity.\u201d<\/p>\n Tasha Thigpen, a sophomore English education major from Jackson, Miss., admired his demeanor.<\/p>\n \u201cHe seemed very down to earth and took time to answer questions with in-depth answers,\u201d said Thigpen.<\/p>\n SGA Special Interest Council Senator Perrin Bostic, a junior healthcare administration major from Little Rock, Ark. said, \u201cFonzworth Bentley serves as a role model in terms of being college educated, through his appearance, and his interest in manners.\u201d<\/p>\n MADDRAMA Performance Troupe performed a tribute to Bentley as a productive black man, commending his successes as a musician, an author, producer, host, and role model for collegiate black men.<\/p>\n The JSU Dance Ensemble danced to a mix of songs he has been a part of, including \u201cRoses\u201d and \u201cI Like the Way You Move,\u201d and Bentley\u2019s own \u201cEverybody\u201d ft. Kanye West, Sa-ra, and Andre 3000.<\/p>\n Kevondria Cager, a junior therapeutic recreation major from Atlanta, Ga., felt that Bentley was a perfect speaker for the occasion.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a privilege for Mr. Bentley to speak with us and give us advice to carry us through our transitions,\u201d said Cager.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Candace Chambers Blue & White Flash\/Staff Writer Dressed in a bronze blazer, pink collared shirt, blue and white polka dot tie, and light blue faded…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_plus_post_options":"{}","editor_plus_copied_stylings":"{}","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1310"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1310\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nBlue & White Flash\/Staff Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nJackson State University students, faculty, and staff gathered in Ballrooms A&B of the Student Center to honor HBCU\u2019s and to listen to Bentley\u2019s address on how confidence, manners, and style affect the journey towards success.<\/p>\n