I used to struggle with understanding why I was given up, but she wasn’t given up. But I realize now that my mom was in a totally different space when my sister was born. So it ended up not bothering me after we had that conversation. My adopted parents are great. They support all of my decisions. They allow me to take whatever path I want. They’re behind me 100 percent. I love the endless love and support, and the fact that, even though my mom had to make a hard decision, she ended up blessing another family that ended up blessing me. So it’s like now I have even more family.

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

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.

So I’m passionate about bringing more of that to the black community – tools of success as opposed to tools for failure. We have so many (payday and title) loan businesses in the black community. You don’t see those in other communities. So, I want to teach people more about what to do with their money and how to be successful.

I’m most proud of coming to college in Mississippi. That was a big thing for me. My older sister was the first person in our family to complete college, but she went to school in Virginia. We’re from Maryland and Mississippi is 16 hours away. So it was a big adjustment.

My freshman year was really hard, but not because of academics. It was hard because I was in Mississippi by myself. I didn’t know anyone here. My first time coming to Mississippi was during the freshman orientation.

So, when I was 10-years-old, and my older brother and sister were gone, my mom came to me and said: ‘You are the man of the house now.’ At 10-years-old, I’m like, ‘What does that mean?’ What it meant was that she expected me to keep the house in tow while she worked multiple jobs. And not only that, she expected me to help out however I could.

I remember at 10-years-old, starting to run errands for the elderly folks who couldn’t make it to the grocery store.  Then at 11-years-old, the neighbor let me borrow their lawn mower so I could begin cutting lawns. Then at age 13, I got a job. So, I didn’t have a normal childhood because I was expected to be the responsible young person in the house. And I’ve pretty much been that ever since.That’s why I don’t flinch when trouble arises or when there is an issue or concern. I don’t even know if my blood pressure goes up because I’m so used to dealing with different things and trying to create win-win situations for folks.

But there is one thing that I wish I could do over.  Because of the sense of responsibility that I had growing up, that’s how I raised my kids. I tried to teach them responsibility, but I wasn’t as fun as I wish I would have been. I always set a great example for them. I always provided for them. But I didn’t talk to them as much as I wish I had talked to them. Don’t get me wrong; we don’t have any problems. They feel good about the example I set, and the provider I was. But again, I was in that mode of – you’ve got to be responsible. You’ve got to be the person whose character is unquestionable; you’ve got to be the stand-up person. Going back, I wish I had balanced that a little bit more. So, I may not have been the fun dad, but now I’m the fun granddad.”

– Dr. William B. Bynum Jr., a higher education professional with more than 27 years of experience, is the 11th President of Jackson State University

I’m fortunate because of the help of my dad. He financed my private school education from daycare to high school, and he paid for my travel expenses and stuff. When my older sisters and I finished high school, he took us to the Embassy to get our Visas. He was my mentor. He meant everything to me. So, when he passed away in 2015, I reached my breaking point. I was like, that’s it for me.

We Facetimed each other a few hours before he passed away. He wasn’t sick or anything like that, so his death was shocking. But, before he passed away, he would always tell me, ‘It doesn’t matter how long I live. The most important thing is how I live. So, if I have to go today, keep praying and just know that in whatever kind of condition you find yourself, just have faith, keep pushing, and follow your dreams.’

Those words really meant a lot to me. Those words are the reason why I’m still here. Thank God, I’m here. Everything that I am today is because of my dad. He did everything for us. When he passed away, I became extra motivated to get my degree, get a good job, and provide for my mom. I hope that he’ll be proud of me some day.

I would really like to go back home and be a mentor or a role model for most of the kids back home, just to tell them to pursue their dreams. I would like to tell them to keep pushing, keep working hard, follow their dreams and I hope that the students in high school or middle school right now will have the same opportunities that I have and will be able to get some funding, some scholarships to pursue their dreams outside of Africa. I think that the main difference between people back home and people here is opportunities. There is nothing that we can’t do.”

–   Sheikh, senior computer engineering major from Gambia

I definitely have a passion for the arts, whether it’s music, theatre, acting, painting, drawing, or dancing. When I was younger, I did ballet. But now, I really just want to be able to use those things to share the gospel. A passion of mine is to be able to share the gospel with whatever gifts that I have. 

“I don’t know the specifics of my adoption, but I do know that my birth parents were dealing with a lot of drug-related issues. I have some memories of them, from going to visit them during the adoption process.

Kids would make fun of me, saying, ‘You don’t know who your real parents are.’ At first, it would bother me. But, as I got older, I realized that that’s really a slap in the face to my mom because I do know who my parents are. They’re the people that I have at home. I had to understand that people are going to talk about you regardless. And, I’m glad that my mom kind of taught me that. When I would go home and tell her what they said, she would say, ‘People are always going to talk about you. You will have to find a way to live on with that.’

My mom and dad did not go to college. But, my mom is a big advocate for doing the best that you can do and really advancing your education. She was always hard on us when it came to school. If you made anything lower than a B, she felt like you underperformed. You could have done better. I’m thankful to her for doing that. I have six older siblings, one by blood, and they’re all college graduates.

My mom was always supportive of me going to college. Not so far away from home, though. ‘Why don’t you go in-state somewhere? Why do you have to go all the way down there to Jackson?’ There’s no family down here. But, she raised me well. And, she trusted that I would make the right decisions while I was down here.

But, my story isn’t particularly special. Each one of us has gone through something. I mean, that’s just life. We are going to go through something. It’s just whether or not you’re going to be able to deal with it. And, we are all able to deal with it.

– Johnathan, computer engineering major from Chicago, Illinois. Johnathan is one of the five drum majors in the ’17-’18 Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band.

“I am from Jackson (MS). I went to Provine High School. What brought me to JSU was, first of all, my major, which is education. But also the Sonic Boom of the South.  I was introduced to the Sonic Boom when I was in eighth grade. I attended a trombone clinic that was hosted by a couple of JSU trombone players – one was a guy named Travis Pruitt. And through Travis I was introduced to my high school band director, who also played trombone at JSU. They both got me here and showed me the way. And, I fell in love with the school and the band when I got here.

My favorite experience in the band so far is being a Drum Major. This is the epitome of student leadership. I pride myself on being a leader and being able to perform with a high level of showmanship. That’s pretty much the best feeling.

But, my passion is education. People usually say they want to be a teacher because they love kids. But it’s deeper than that. You have to have a passion for education and a passion for knowledge to be an educator. I had a history teacher in high school who would sometimes stress herself out, a lot, for us to be able to pass those state tests. But with that, I saw her passion and drive. I looked at that and said I want to be a teacher one day to be able to impact students’ lives, and have them actually care about their education.

The obvious challenge is that there aren’t a lot of young black male teachers in the field today.  And, I want to challenge other black males to get in the classroom. Because we’re needed there. We have to see the importance of it and understand the impact that we could have.

Also, the other challenge would be, breaking the stereotype that black males are thugs and hoodlums. So, my ultimate goal is educational leadership. I want to start from the bottom with elementary education and just work my way through.

I want to be able to show other kids/students that you can get a good education and be successful and as for other black males, to be able to be that role model for them so they can see somebody that genuinely cares about education.”

                       – Tyler, senior elementary education major from Jackson. Tyler is one of the five drum majors in the ’17-’18 Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band.