“Well, I would have to say, the hardest obstacle in my life was my lack of confidence. In elementary school and middle school, I was bullied a lot. I never thought I was good enough, or that I looked nice enough because I was a little overweight at that time.

I had a lot of issues with my confidence. But Jackson State has brought a lot out of me, to the point where now, I know who I am. I know that I can do anything if I put my mind to it. Certain people and certain organizations have made me realize that I am good enough and that I can succeed in life.

I would tell anyone who’s struggling with confidence to remember that the things people may say about you don’t define who you are. Even though you may be going through tough times, always remember that the things you go through will help build you in some way, and help get you to a goal that God has for you.”

– Darrian, junior physics, pre-med major from Jackson, Mississippi

“I came here because of Army ROTC. I’d been doing ROTC for four years. Half of my family is in the military. It’s just something that I love.

During my senior year in high school, I became the first multicultural female battalion commander for the ROTC program at my school. The school is predominately white, and I transferred there my junior year. They take the ROTC program very seriously. Someone else was supposed to get the battalion commander spot, but I was really competitive and got the spot. He would say racist jokes, and he had the whole program against me trying to get my rank and trying to get me fired. They used to text racist things, but some people would screenshot them and send them to me. I would show it to my colonel.