But my mom pushed me to come out of my shell and told me to not be afraid. She told me that being a first-generation college student doesn’t make me less than anyone else. I lost my mom during my junior year at Jackson State and that was hard. It was very challenging. I wanted to give up, but it’s like she came to me in a dream and said, ‘No. You’re going to finish this.’ So instead of balling up, crying, and dropping out, I used it as motivation to get me here.

I’m married. I’ve been married for three years, and I have two children. I’m learning to balance. I relieve stress by working on cars.

In politics – and generally, in the world – black women are underrepresented. The majority of the people in powerful positions don’t look like us. And, we have to work harder than everyone else because we already have stigmas against us, such as stereotypes of being a mad, black woman or too aggressive. And the worst thing about it is you have to go through all of that and keep a good attitude.

So I took that leap of faith. My favorite moment is definitely auditioning for the Boom and getting that call back saying: ‘We’ll see you at band camp.’ I was like, ‘I made it.’ During my senior year in high school, I was kind of nervous about the audition. I almost decided to just come to Jackson State and not audition. But, I auditioned, and I made it, and that was probably the proudest moment in my life. Even now, I’m blessed to say I made the Boom.

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