“An oral historian does many things. Primarily, the first job of an oral historian is interviewing to collect oral records of history. We focus on life history interviews. We also maintain archives of oral histories, audio-edit interviews to use the transcripts to do original writing, and educate, as well. It varies; it depends on the role.

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

“I feel like I was always that person in school that people would talk about and say, ‘Yeah, he’s a good kid. He’s kind of smart but he hangs around the wrong crowd. He’ll fall to the waist side one day.’ And I’ve been through a lot. I’m kind of a private person, so I don’t really like going into details or show pity on myself. But I came from a single parent home, with my mom and my little brother. Seeing some of the stuff my mom went through made me think, ‘How do you overcome that? Do you just stay down and feel sorry for yourself because of what you went through, or do you try to make a difference?’

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.

“We have a strong family legacy here. I am the youngest of 10. Nine of the ten graduated from college, and eight of the nine graduated from Jackson State. My oldest sister started the tradition in 1976. I was born in ’75. So I grew up knowing Jackson State. Someone has been here, literally, since I was born. For homecoming, we wore this shirt with all of the siblings who attended.

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.

“I was born in Jackson, and all of my family is from Jackson State. I’ve been going to Jackson State games since I was, like, five years old. And I think the Sonic Boom made me start to like marching band music. So I grew up being a Tiger fan.

I recently transferred here. But so far, I like the culture and the people. I feel welcomed and comfortable. And the classes are much smaller than at my former school, so I can actually get to know my professors.

After I graduate, I want to be an officer in the Air Force. I want to become a biomedical engineer so I can help make prosthetics and artificial organs for people in need. I feel like that would be the best way to utilize my abilities in math and science. I’ve always had a passion for the STEM program. So it was pretty much the best fit for me.

My mom and grandmother were in the medical field. My mom, grandmother, grandfather, and my uncle Bob (Braddy) are the main people I look up to, and they all graduated from Jackson State. They really showed me that you can be successful with the education you get from an HBCU.”

– Braden, sophomore biomedical engineering major from New Orleans, La.

“When I was a junior in high school, I took an HBCU tour, and we stopped here. And as soon as we got on campus, something hit me. I was like, ’Okay, I’m liking it here.’ I liked the people and their southern hospitality. People were so friendly and helpful when I was on the tour, giving me more information about Jackson State. I researched the business department because I already knew what I wanted to major in. There was a study that concluded that business graduates get more job opportunities than non business graduates. And the JSU College of Business helps us while we’re here, and even after, to get internships and other opportunities. I saw what they had to offer and I thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to like it here.’ And this was my first choice.

My favorite part of JSU is how welcoming it is. It’s kind of like a family to me. Everyone’s accepting, no matter where you came from. They’re just welcoming and willing to help.”

– Iyana, freshman entrepreneurship major from Colorado Springs, Col.

“I’d been wanting to come to Jackson State since 2015. My father figure was a J5 drum major back in his day. The only thing he ever talked about was Jackson State. And we hear so much about it in the Virgin Islands. I researched the school and fell in love with the band and everything else. I never wanted to go to anywhere else.

I wanted to come here right after high school. But when you’re young, you think you know everything, and you don’t want to listen to your parents. That was my situation. After high school, I went to a community college and got involved with people who I thought were my friends. And things happened that really conflicted me. I got betrayed, and it hurt a lot. I fell into a very dark place. I didn’t know myself. My mother and I didn’t talk for almost a year because of my decisions. Everything just started to crumble right before me, but I learned a very valuable lesson. It turns out that if God doesn’t want certain people in your life, He will remove them. I started to pull myself together and remember what I actually wanted to do. I moved back home and started to focus on what I needed to do to get where I wanted to be. And I had a lot of support.

So don’t give up on your dreams. That’s where you’d go wrong. If you change your dreams, that’s fine. But don’t ever give up on them. Don’t feel like just because you hit rock bottom, that’s it. My grandmother would always tell me that you have to pray and maintain. When you pray and maintain, so many opportunities can come to you in so many different ways. Once you have faith, anything is possible.”

– Diata, sophomore entrepreneurship major Saint Croix, Virgin Islands

“My mother was an alcoholic and a drug addict. She had her first child when she was 14. And she didn’t know she was pregnant with me while she was on drugs. My auntie adopted my eight siblings and me because she didn’t want us to be in the system. She didn’t want us to be separated. She, too, was a drug addict. But she got her life together. And she has a daughter. So it was really 10 of us who grew up in that house.

I guess the most difficult thing was being the youngest because I was trying to find someone to look up to. I don’t know my father, so that caused me to feel some kind of way towards men. And not having my mother made me feel some kind of way towards women as well. I didn’t really have a role model. There was just a lot of chaos going on. And I didn’t know which route to take. So I was angry all of the time. But my auntie is so sweet, and she spoiled me. She softened me a little bit.

My mom is doing well now. She’s been clean for maybe a year. We actually just started building a relationship. I’ve known her my whole life and she’s always been around, but we didn’t have that mother-daughter relationship. Now we’re working towards it and I’m excited.

But my mom showed me what I didn’t want to be: addicted to drugs and alcohol. I’d always longed for a mother figure. Not just the title but an actual relationship. So she taught me who I didn’t want to be when I have kids. She showed me that when I get older and out into the world, I don’t want to be like that.

So that’s what keeps me going every day. I don’t want to be a product of my circumstances. So I’m just going to make a difference.”

– Alexis, sophomore criminal justice major with a minor in political science from Cleveland, Ohio

“I started homeschool in the 4th grade.

Being homeschooled isn’t as glamorous as some people think. I had a ton of books. I usually woke up at the same time as students in public schools. My grandmother, a former math teacher at Clinton High School, was my teacher.

The reason for me being placed in homeschool was because I was getting bullied in public school. Some of the students did not like that I could out-work them and sometimes they would take my homework and throw it away or just mess it up so that I couldn’t turn it in. So, from 4th grade through high school I was homeschooled. I thought about going to public school but I didn’t think I would integrate well – having been homeschooled for so long.

The transition from homeschool to Jackson State was a little bumpy at first, because I wasn’t used to a classroom setting. So I would just sit in the back, take my notes and then leave class. But my instructors have helped me come out of my shell. They would come up to me and ask if I needed help with anything. And they would do whatever they could to help me feel more comfortable in the classroom. To me, the best thing about JSU are the instructors.”

– Austin, sophomore biology/pre-veterinarian major from Jackson, Miss.

“One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with was the suicide of a friend. It was hard to cope and figure out how to convey the emotions I was feeling and move on from it. I like to put my life in words and music, and I felt like a lot of the times, I was repeating the same process. I kept bringing her up in songs. I felt like I wasn’t really moving on, and that wasn’t helping me move on from it. That was really difficult because it just made feel like I could’ve helped, or I could’ve been there. It also made me feel like if other people I knew were going through the same thing, I wouldn’t be able to help them. It was a lot of internal struggles with that and thinking that it was my fault that it happened. It was a lot to deal with.

It’s kind of better now. I guess a big thing was time, and the music and conversations I’ve had with people. I got to perform a song with a verse that mentions her and the situation. I think that was like a release for me – to have that story be put out to the world and to have that off my shoulders a little bit for other people to hear how I felt about it. I still think about her a lot, but it’s not at the forefront of my brain anymore.

I’ve moved past the grief, and now I want to help other people deal with their problems a little better. Whether it be a friend or a person that I’m not close to, I just want to let them know that I’m a person to talk to and somebody with empathy. I think empathy is a big thing for people to have, not judging, just listening. I know from experience that it’s nice to have someone in your corner and somebody to talk to. So I feel that it’s really important to talk about it, help people cope, help yourself cope, and help yourself move on from those things and get better.”

– Justin, sophomore computer science major from Biloxi, Miss.

“This is kind of weird because I really don’t talk to too many people. I have friends but I don’t really just talk, like that. Actually, when I was in middle school, I was really outgoing. But when I got to high school, I went into a bubble because I didn’t trust people. Here, I feel like I can trust people more, because I’m around my community, so I’m more outgoing now than I was in high school.

I’m a singer. But I don’t compare myself to any other singers. I’m just me. I like many styles of music – gospel, R&B, pop, rap, metal, rock. I like everything.

I was actually a music major at first. I changed my major but I still sing in my free time. But when people put me on the spot, that makes me not want to sing. It’s not that I don’t want to sing in front of people. I mean, if it happens, it happens. For instance, if I’m in a store, and I’m just singing and you happen to hear me – that’s fine. But when somebody asks me to sing for them, it’s hard for me to do that.”

– Ariona, freshman Psychology major from Milwaukee, Wis.