At first, it was hard for my mom because I was the first of the family to leave. I can remember my mom crying every day because I was about to leave, and my sister told me my mom was sad that I wasn’t there. But my family knows that leaving has helped me to grow and become a better person, more responsible and all that stuff. So, they’re proud of me, and they’re happy I’m here. But of course, they miss me.

I was nervous to come, mostly because of my English. I can communicate, but I don’t speak like a native American. So when I got here, I was nervous that I wouldn’t understand people or they wouldn’t understand me. And the culture is also different. But once I got here, everyone was so nice, and I felt comfortable. I like it. Something I wasn’t used to was people saying hi to you, even if they don’t know you. Just people being nice without a reason.

– Mariana, sophomore civil engineering major from Sonora, Mexico

I chose Jackson State because it’s an HBCU with a great business program. It was an easy decision. My mother is real big on entrepreneurship, and my dad is real heavy in the stock market. And a lot of people in my family own their own businesses. I decided to come here to further my education, so I can take it back home and help my parents, my family, and my own business. I have a clothing line called Tresor, which is French for ‘treasure.’ And I’m actually working on starting another company.

I’ve had a really great experience at Jackson State. I actually started my clothing line a few months into my freshman year. I’ve met a lot of really great people. They’ve helped me a lot and established connections for me that I probably couldn’t have gotten on my own. I love it here. It’s like one big family, and I really don’t think I could have asked for a better school experience so far, aside from COVID.”

– Tia, sophomore entrepreneurship major from Greenwood, Miss.

Initially, I did not want to attend Jackson State University. I felt like I needed something different. But I was forced to go on a JSU tour that I absolutely did not want to do. Once I got here, I instantly felt like this was the place for me. I loved the campus and the people. I knew JSU was for me.

But it has been challenging. I often have to sit down and take breaks. I can’t do everything my friends do. Still, I’ve learned so much from this diagnosis. I really believe in self-care now.”

– Tyrese, biology/pre-dentistry major from Greenville, Miss.

My mother suffers from a mental illness: bipolar schizophrenia. She relapsed, and I had to live with my uncle for the latter part of my school career. But during those times that I’d be down because she was down, I could pick up the instrument and cheer us both up. Music was a release for me. That’s why I’m so passionate about music and why I want to reach people through it. I want to get my doctorate, and I want my dissertation to be based on how music affects mental health.

I haven’t heard from my mother in years. She didn’t see me graduate high school, and she doesn’t know that I’m about to graduate college. But one of the last things that she did for me was force me into band, and I’m forever grateful to her for that. So, instead of dwelling on the negative aspects, I just always try to remain positive and think about how my passion came from the fact that she forced me to do something when I was 10 years old. So, the least I can do is follow through with my passion. If she ever happens to see this, I want to tell her, ‘Thank you.'”

⁃ Jalen, senior music education major from Memphis, Tenn.

Another thing my father taught me is to never be afraid to be yourself. And that’s not just from my dad; that’s from my family, in general. No one can understand you like you. It’s your duty and obligation to be real with yourself and stand on your own two feet, no matter what anybody else thinks. Only you know who you are. To not be yourself is basically saying that you’re not confident or not proud of who you are and what you stand for. Him teaching me to always be who I am is basically him saying, ‘Love yourself and treat yourself well.’

I’m blessed to have my father in my life. A lot of people have different circumstances. And sometimes we butt heads, and there are times when my mom and I may not get along. But at the end of the day, they’re both blessings to have in my life. So, I can’t complain.”

– Aaron, senior entrepreneurship major from Chicago, Ill.

I trained as a medical doctor in Nigeria. I graduated in 2011, and I practiced for about five years. In 2016, I got an opportunity to travel to the Caribbean – Grenada, precisely – to teach in the medical school. I taught there for about three years.

When I was in medical school I knew that I wasn’t going to stay in clinical medicine for a long time. We had rotations, and we had a course in public health. I was so inspired by the lectures and the instructors we had then. I was like, ‘This is where I want to be. This is what I want to be doing, helping people to prevent diseases. Being in the prevention part.’ I’m not going to go back to practicing medicine. I think I’m done with that part. But the knowledge I’ve gained in medicine is going to really help me to make an impact.

When I graduate from this program I want to go back to my country. Maybe not immediately because I want to get some experience. I want to make some contacts because these are the things I would need to be able to establish what I want to do. Nigeria is still a developing country. We’ve come a long way, but we still have problems we shouldn’t have. With the experience I gain and the collaborations I make, I will be able to help change some health policies and help to ensure that some health policies are being implemented. It’s one thing to make policies, but it’s another to implement them. And I’ll be able to educate the people because there are some little things that people should know but don’t know because nobody’s telling them. Then, the mortality and mobility we have in my country won’t persist. These are just some areas I want to look into.”

Nwanne, Ph.D. student in public health from Nigeria

“My aunt was the one who brought me around the Jackson State athletic programs. We always attended all of the functions. She brought me around, and I just fell in love with the basketball program. I had a passion for being around basketball and the athletes, and they took me under their wing and treated me like the little brother of the program. I developed relationships with the players, working my way up from middle school through high school, and then getting a chance to be a manager here.

I had been joking with the (head) coach throughout the week and for the last two years about senior night. I was going to warm up with the team and everything. I didn’t know, for sure, if he was serious. Then, one day, he said he was going to let me do it. It went from me being able to warm up to me being able to participate in the shoot-arounds and get in a real game. He motivated the guys during the pre-game and they went out and played hard for me so I would be able to get in the game. And I thank them for that, as well as the coaches for trusting me to be able to go out there with the guys. We actually needed that game for seeding purposes. So for us to be at this point in the season, where we’re competing for placement in the tournament, I found it very significant that he gave me the opportunity to come out and dress out for senior night.

On the court, it didn’t feel real. I felt like I was in the video game NBA 2K. It was like I was out there in MyPlayer mode. It was fast-paced. I felt the crowd behind me, the players, all of the support staff, everybody that was in the gym. I felt the love, and I knew everybody wanted to see me get one shot to fall. That’s what gave me confidence, shot after shot, to keep shooting it. Everybody’s behind you and you’re going to get a lot of support and recognition for it. I’m just glad I was able to make the shot and make the fans happy. Overall, it’s just a great experience that I’ll never forget.

– Thomas aka ‘Snacks’, senior recreation administration major from Jackson, Miss.

To be honest, I got into it by chance. I studied anthropology in undergrad and took an oral history class just to fill up my quota during my senior year. I thought it seemed easy enough. And I did learn a lot of interesting things. But after I graduated, I had no intention of being a historian in any sense. It was not until six years later that I found out about a master’s program at my alma mater and decided it was worth applying to. It looked like an interesting field, and I had always wanted to go back to school. So, I gave it a shot. My application was accepted and I got a small award, so I guessed that was what I was going to be doing. When I got into the program, I really learned and realized what oral history was, what it meant to me and the ways that I could use my skillsets with my interest in stories and people to do something for my community.

I want to have a hand in highlighting the roles that Black people have played in American history and history at large. And I want our stories to be not just a focus, but to be of use to other people as well. I want to have a career that helps bring our stories to life.”

– Alissa Rae, oral historian at the Margaret Walker Center

And that’s what I strive to do every day: make a difference. I’ve lost so many friends to gun violence. So many people came to school but dropped out. But I always tell people to be the change they want to see. So I always strive to show the young kids in my neighborhood they can do something different.

And now I’m about to graduate, coming from Isola, Mississippi with a population of maybe 800 people, in one of the poorest regions – the Mississippi Delta. I’m about to be the first engineer in my family, and really, the first engineer that I know. And I was able to be involved at JSU in so many ways, from SGA to the NPHC. I was even a student-athlete, playing football for a few years. I mean, I did it all here.

Two things made me want to take a different route. One was my environment. The other was my mom being tough on me, I guess because she sees something in me. She’s always seen it, and my grandma did, too. She used to always tell me that I’m going to be something one day. She kept putting it in my head. My grandma is in heaven right now. I always look up and say, ‘I’m going to do it. I have to.’ She spoke that on me a long time ago. So I can’t help but to be something one day. I can’t let her down.”

– Marquis, senior electrical engineering major from Isola, Miss.

One sister met her husband here; two brothers met their wives here. I have a niece who was Miss JSU. And I have a son, niece and nephew who are currently enrolled. So it’s deep in family history.

When my oldest sister went to school, there was no money, so Daddy went to the finance office and said, ‘If you give me 30 days, I will come up with what you need.’ Back in 1976, I don’t know how things were set up, but apparently whatever he said worked because my sister graduated. Whether it costs $5,000 then versus what it costs now, I don’t know. But I know he didn’t have it in the beginning. But whatever concessions were made, he got it. I am blessed to say that I was on a full scholarship, so we didn’t have those issues with me.

My mom had an associate’s degree and my dad had a GED. My siblings and I have four advanced degrees and two Ph.D.’s. So I look back on where we came from, and you can’t tell me nothing. We are a walking example of ‘the dream’ and didn’t even know it, realize it, or appreciate it when I was growing up. I think that’s why I love it so much. And maybe that’s part of why I wanted to tell our story. And I’m sure that everyone has a story. Everyone came from something or nothing. But my daddy had a sixth grade education, and he was determined that his children were going to be better than him.

We’re all equally proud. We all love the university. We still buy season tickets, attend games and participate in the alumni chapters for our various cities. We support. I absolutely would not be where I am if not for my JSU experience, and I think I can speak that same sentiment for all of my siblings.”

– Jimi, JSU Class of 1997 from Indianapolis, Ind.