MMXVIII; Year of The Underdog MOTY - 92.7

2017-2018

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE M OT Y THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

M A N OF THE Y E A R MT STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF C. ISAIAH SMALLS II

FEATURES EDITOR JAIR HILBURN

MANAGING EDITOR AYRON LEWALLEN

OPINIONS EDITOR CLARISSA BROOKS

CHIEF LAYOUT EDITOR TJ JETER

ASSOCIATE OPINIONS EDITOR DEMARCUS FIELDS

BUSINESS MANAGER ZURI CHEATHEM ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR JAMES JONES SPORTS EDITOR TYLER MITCHELL

STAFF WRITERS AARON JOHNSON & SHALA MURRAY

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER AUSTYN WYCHE PHOTOGRAPHER KIERRA RICHARDSON

ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDI- ADVISERS TOR RON THOMAS TUCKER TOOLE & DAVID DENNIS CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR KINGSLEY IYAWE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF THE ARTISANS THE SARTORIALISTS THE ACTIVISTS THE JUGGERNAUTS THE INTELLECTUALS MAN OF THE YEAR

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

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MAN OF THE YEAR

C. Isaiah Smalls II Editor-in-Chief I can think of only one word to describe my college experience as it comes to a close: transformational.

I didn’t want to come to Morehouse. I thought I wouldn’t fit in. I even hated the campus the first time I visited.

Coming from a predominately white private school, my preconceived notions of HBCUs were skewed. I was adamant about not coming to Morehouse. But thank God that I had a praying mother. Despite all my misgivings, I arrived on campus in August of 2014 and was instantly proved wrong about my hesitations. I was immediately embraced by a community of faculty and students that pushed me to be my authentic self. Attending Morehouse College was the best decision I’ve ever ever made.

The past four years here have been by far the greatest of my life. I’ve learned so much, not only about myself but about my people. What I’ll miss most about Morehouse and the AUC as a whole is the community. Seeing so many successful Black people on a daily basis inspired me more than words can convey.

community have begun to sleep on us. Although a lot has to change in order for us to shift the opinions of outsiders, I believe we are up to the task. I’m sad to be leaving, however I take solace in the fact that my hard work at the next level will be for the betterment of the institution that I’ve grown to love.

I want to thank Dr. Illya Davis, Professor David Dennis, Professor Mikki Harris, Dr. David Wall Rice, Mr. Ron Thomas for exposing me to a variety of different perspectives and expanding my worldview. Your advice and support was much appreciated.

Thank you TJ for working countless hours on the layout and dealing with my petty critiques. There wouldn’t have been a paper without you. Thank you Ayron and Britt for not only your exceptional work but also supporting me through all the ups and downs. Thank you James for being Mr. Incognito but always having everything in on time. I couldn’t have asked for a better staff. The love I have for you all is endless.

Into Ties More Brotherly,

I wanted to call this edition “Year of The Underdog” because I feel like Morehouse has a lot to prove now. The last couple years have been rough to say the least and those not fortunate enough to call themselves a part of the Morehouse

C. Isaiah Smalls II Editor-in-Chief

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THE ARTISIANS

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The Artisans

Demarcus Fields: How did you get your name?

Chakkra Tara: The anime – chakra. When I looked it up it meant gift of light and my actual name means gift of God. You put that together and I am God’s gift.

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Demarcus Fields: What influenced your music?

Chakkra Tara: I always wanted to be in the entertainment industry and main stream. Usher, TI, Lil Wayne.

John Legend, Jill Scott, John Coltrane, Commission, Fred Hammond and others influenced me because I realized I had to be knowledgeable of the industry I am going in.

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Demarcus Fields: As a devout Christian, how does the secular and the sacred influence your music?

Chakkra Tara: I want the whole family to listen to my music together. I do not want it to sound vulgar or left field. So, I understand it is important that I continue my walk with Christ as I make music. As long as you make God the center of everything, your music will reflect that. None of this would be possible without God.

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Demarcus Fields: How did you get to Morehouse?

Chakkra Tara: When I got to Morehouse, everything took off for me. Before Morehouse, I did not know what an HBCU was. My friend told me about it because he loves Morehouse, but he got a full ride to Rutgers to play basketball. I asked my teachers about the school and they told me it was a very fine institution. Most of the people doing big things came from Morehouse, rather in the front or behind the scenes.

Demarcus Fields: How important has your degree been in your music?

Chakkra Tara: It has helped me because it is important for what I am doing and promoting my projects.

I have to know the business so I won’t end up like a fool because business is what increases the message in a sense.

Demarcus Fields: What do you say to those who want you to have a more lucrative career?

Chakkra Tara: I have doubters, but I take everything with a grain of salt. I have a great support system. In the end, all you have is you and God. It is about how me as a human being can move and give you my energy and influence.

INFLUENCE CHAKKRA TARA

Demarcus Fields: What is one thing you want to say to inspire readers and people that see you up and coming?

Chakkra Tara: Apply yourself to supply yourself. The only limitations that you have are those you place upon yourself. God will supply you in abundance. There is a seat at the table for you with God. Be true to yourself.

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

LORENZO MURPHY AKA ZO THE MOTIVATOR

Name: Lorenzo Murphy Jr. Major: CTEMS Origin: Compton, California Classification: Graduated 2018 Artistic Expression: Actor/Singer/Entertainer Demarcus Fields: Actor, singer, director, entertainer – you are the quintessential definition of a polymath. Commonly known as Zo The Motivator on social media, your journey has been anything but easy. But after walking across that stage in May of 2018, your journey has actually just begun. What motivates you?

Lorenzo Murphy Jr.: The answer to what motivates Zo The

Motivator is simpler than you think. I am really just a vessel that loves to serve God and motivate his people with my God-given gifts. I’m real and I just share my truth with the world [as well as] my ups and my downs.

Demarcus Fields: The oft-used colloquialism “great art comes from pain,” albeit a cliché, describes you to a tee. From finding your stepfather dead the same week you began your senior year to making it out of the hoods of Compton, California, your life could be a film.

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even an option. Even typing the word “film” in reference to you seems to be placing a limit on your potential.

Lorenzo Murphy Jr.: The thing is, it’s really hard to explain [my vision]. Sometimes I have a hard time explaining that I see myself like an Oprah. It’s hard to say I see myself like a P. Diddy.

Demarcus Fields: French painter Henri Matisse once said that much of the beauty that arises in art comes from the struggle the artist wages with his limited medium. Such is the case for you and other artists who possess a multitude of talents yet can’t imagine choosing just one career.

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BRANDON McCLUNG AKA THE SHOOTER

Name: Brandon McClung ’19 Major: Psychology Origin: Edison, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Classification: Junior Artistic Expression: Photography, Videography Instagram: b.media Demarcus Fields: How long have you taken photographs?

Brandon: Seven years. I did not own my first camera until my second semester of freshman year in college but started with sports photography. I shot for my school newspaper and when I got to 10th grade I began doing portraits through an internship.

Demarcus Fields: What separates a good picture from a great picture?

Brandon: It is subjective because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It would be pictures I took months ago and now I think they are terrible, but at the moment I thought they were amazing. Funda-

mentally though, composition, Demarcus Fields: How do you color scheme, and structure combat those who say you are the keys. should find a more lucrative job?

Demarcus Fields: What inspired Brandon: There are more peoyou to start shooting? ple that lean towards practicalBrandon: I am an introvert, so ity over passion, but when you the arts have always been my are passionate enough, you way of communicating. Al- will make a way. though, the first time I picked up a camera to shoot for a Demarcus Fields: How importfootball game, it was terrible. ant is photography to social There were no pictures they issues? could use for the article and it Brandon: It is having eyes. It put me at a low point where I gives visibility. When we look would never want to take an- at police brutality for instance, other picture like that again. us having a camera attached From that point I wanted to to our phones allows more peokeep shooting because once ple to see what has already I have done something, espe- been happening. Pictures are cially bad, I have to keep doing talking points. it until I get good at it.

Demarcus Fields: How does Demarcus Fields: Do you see Morehouse help you with your yourself doing photography for art and vision? a living?

Brandon: The network and Brandon: Yes, my life plan is to brotherhood on campus. There be an art-therapist. I want to have been days where I wanted open up centers in the com- to quit, but their reassurance munity. that the work I put in is not in vain is comforting.

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

E TH A R AK

LO Artistic Expression: Rapper/ Singer/Songwriter Instagram: lorenzoraps Demarcus Fields: Music, what does that mean to you?

The Renaissance: Expression, transparency and being a vessel. When I make music, I express how I’m feeling at the time being. I get to tell things that I and others have experienced.

Demarcus Fields: What inspired you to create music?

The Renaissance: Life experiences and my dad being a DJ. He put me on early to all the classics. I am an old school.

Demarcus Fields: Who are some past artists, current artists that influence you?

The Renaissance: Earth, Wind & Fire. Fighting Temptations. KRSL. Drake.

J Cole. Tupac. Childish

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Gambino. Kanye. Especially Kanye, Childish Gambino and Tupac because they have shown that they have a mastery level of wearing different hats that kind of make you the jack of all trades. They are renaissance men.

Demarcus Fields: How did you get your stage name, The Renaissance?

The Renaissance: Well, in high school I went by eloquent, then changed it to LO. When I came to college I knew I wanted to rap, act, and produce. Also, I realized when I was growing up I was always talented in various areas, making me think renaissance man. When you think renaissance, you think enlightenment and medieval times transforming into modern times. So, when you look at today and when you look at the ’80s, ’90s, 2000s, and 2010s

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we represent that. I can introduce you to old values to enlighten a new state of mind and propel from that.

You put that together and you have The Renaissance.

Demarcus Fields: Why did you choose Morehouse?

The Renaissance: Morehouse chose me! I was headed to Savannah College Art and Design about to study music and architectural design because of my engineering background. Then I got the Bonner Scholarship and my first time coming to campus I felt at home. I came in an engineering major and after a year in a half I realized the arts were my passion. It drew a line between something I’m good at and something I love. I always choose something I love.

Demarcus Fields: What advice would you give to creatives in the AUC?

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The Renaissance: Reassure your intentions of why you want to be seen and what they want to go for. Don’t take any moments for granted or miss out on opportunities. Remove the ego, be humble, and move forward.

Keep your confidence up and believe in yourself.

Know that nobody can do it like you.

Demarcus Fields: What is something about The Renaissance people don’t know about?

The Renaissance: I am 10 times as more passionate in person in all aspects than I am in music. The raw version of myself is a lot more exuberant. Whatever you hear in the studio, you get around a good brother like myself, it will be 10 times better.

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“The Renaissance” Product of My Generation

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

Cherokee Cardriche Chancia Fairley

Kira Livingston

WORDS DEMARCUS FIELDS PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES JONES

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

CHEROKEE CARDRICHE

Name: Cherokee Cardriche ’20 Major: Computer Engineering Origin: Los Angeles, California Classification: Sophomore Artistic Expression: Fashion designer/Model Instagram: c_didthat Demarcus Fields: Why did you choose a denim for your main clothing brand?

Cherokee Cardriche: Honestly, I just wanted to have fun Demarcus Fields: If you had designed attire for President Donald Trump to relay a and I love jean jackets! message to the world in regard to his actions, what would it say?

Demarcus Fields: How long have you been into fashion? Cherokee Cardriche: I would paint him a denim jacket that says FORGET IT (filtered Cherokee Cardriche: I am from California, so we have version) in red and splatter some white paint on it with his face dripping in red lots of fashion. Our main brands are vance and con- because I feel like that is the kind of attitude he has. verse. I don’t own any of those and I do not like being Demarcus Fields: If there is one thing people don’t know about the person behind trendy, so I own my own style. the jacket that you would want them to know, what is it?

Cherokee Cardriche: I have always been independent and a hustler. My father died Demarcus Fields: Why did you choose Spelman?

Cherokee Cardriche: I am a transfer student that played when I was 3 and my brother was diagnosed with cancer, so my mom always had D-II basketball. It was some difficulties going on with to take care of him. When my brother was healed she was trying to get back on her the program and I needed a new environment. I decid- feet but wouldn’t let me get a job. She would struggle to try and find more ways to ed to apply to one school and told myself if I got in that make money. So, I convinced her to take me to Costco and buy me lots of candy. is a sign I am supposed to leave. I applied the last day I became the candy plug at school until I graduated. I bought my first iPhone, clothes, flights, paid for senior trips, and helped pay bills. of the application deadline and got in!

Demarcus Fields: How important is fashion in relation to political issues?

Cherokee Cardriche: A big role as you see celebrities wearing a certain brand and them having so much influence.

Demarcus Fields: What would be your advice for other startup creatives and business owners?

Cherokee Cardriche: You are never put in a situation you cannot handle and once you find your way out of it, there is nowhere to go but up

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Demarcus Fields: What does art mean to you?

Kira Livingston: Art is a way to express myself. As a pretty quiet person, when I have a real statement to say, I do it through my art.

Demarcus Fields: What is some of your favorite art?

Kira Livingston: I like Renaissance and your older artwork because it is realistic but dramatic. I love art like The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio.

Demarcus Fields: If you got to paint anything live, what would it be?

Kira Livingston: Donald Glover. I really really like him.

Demarcus Fields: Any Spelman experiences that have helped you out as an artist?

Chancia Fairley

Kira Livingston Name: Kira Livingston ’19 Major: Art Origin: Atlanta, Georgia Classification: Junior Artistic Expression: Painting Instagram: kiralivingston

Kira Livingston: I’ve had some great professors who were very encouraging and helped me plan out careers for the future if I want to make a career in art.

Demarcus Fields: If Spelman decided to name a building after you or give you a statue for your works, what would it be for?

Kira Livingston: For being a pioneer at Spelman and sticking to my art even when the curriculum for me to learn art was taken away.

Demarcus Fields: What is your perspective on art and social issues?

Kira Livingston: Artists definitely have a platform to discuss issues, but artists should not feel required to answer these issues.

If they want to answer I think that is great, and visually they will be drawn in to attract more attention.

Demarcus Fields: What are your thoughts about black art?

Kira Livingston: It is great and an interesting category. People expect your artwork to automatically be tied into the civil rights movement as a black artist, which is sometimes inevitable. Yet, sometimes I believe the best black art is displayed through expression of self as a black person.

Name: Chancia Fairley ’19 Major: English (Education Concentration) Origin: Leavenworth, Kansas Classification: Junior Artistic Expression: Singer/ Songwriter DF: When you perform and sing, how do you feel?

Chancia: The feeling is beyond words. It is very spiritual. No matter what I am feeling, I know that opening my mouth and letting sound come out, that is a part of me fulfilling my purpose.

Demarcus Fields: How does faith play a part in who you are artistically?

Chancia Fairley: God gave me this. I made a song that says “music is my lil brother” because to me it is something I have been given to take care of until Jesus returns. So, my faith is the filter in which my music comes. I consider a song weak if I do not feel I get it from God. Demarcus Fields: What brought you to Spelman?

Chancia Fairley: I knew I wanted to go to an HBCU in the South.

I went to a multicultural school my whole life, so I wanted to learn more about us and myself as a black woman. Spelman popped up as I scrolled on the computer, but I passed it because the website looked boring. Haha. When I looked back at it, I fell in love with it. I officially became a YouTube addict from there on.

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Demarcus Fields: What is black art?

Chancia Fairley: Africa. Every part of it is rooted from Africa.

When we think of art and music, everything we do is tied to it. We can never escape from it because that is who we are.

Demarcus Fields: What makes you different from other artists?

Chancia Fairley: My soul is in this. My parents told me I would eventually have to charge people for singing, but I could sing for the rest of my life, never get paid, and still feel rich. My everything is in music. I do not need the extra to come along with it to feel like I benefit from it.

Demarcus Fields: What is your advice for artists?

Chancia Fairley: The most authentic work we can create is the work that is true about us and to us. Tell your story. Whatever is true to you at the time, put that in the rawest form of your music.

Demarcus Fields: One message you could leave with anyone reading this article?

Chancia Fairley: Life is not a struggle to find yourself or purpose. Life is the struggle to allow God to show you who you are and take the responsibility off of yourself to find out who you are, because you already have something laid out before you. If life is a movie and you are the actor, the only way to properly play your role is to consult the director.

THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

WORDS JAMES JONES PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES JONES

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JUSTUS STEELE

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JIMERIA LYNN

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DAVIA MURRAY

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

Justus Steele, best known as Lonni Giovanni, is a stylist, model, actor and writer hailing from Harrisburg, Pa. For him, his underdog story begins with geography. Because Harrisburg is such a small place, he never felt like he fit in, especially with his sense of style.

“I just never really fit in, and I just always dressed differently,” Steele said. “I always looked different, and everybody thought I was from Cali or New York; anywhere but here.”

He laughs now looking back at his younger self.

“I always just felt like when I left the house I had to look a certain way because you never know who’s going to see you,” Steele said. “But I didn’t realize I was in Harrisburg, Pa., and nobody was going to see me. I always just dressed like a ‘celebrity,’ or someone that you would want to know.”

Upon moving to Atlanta, he quickly realized he could make fashion a long-term deal.

He began to engage in social media and has now worked with brands like boohooMAN and Paul Evans. In addition, he interned at “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he worked in costumes and wardrobe.

Steele counts Luka Sabbat and Jaden Smith as his biggest stylistic influences today. He prefers to stay unpredictable on a day-to-day basis, preferring not to think out his ensemble unless it’s for a special cause.

“I really dress how I’m feeling that day and I also feel like you can never do too much,” Steele says. “I don’t know, that’s just me, I’m always going over and above.”

Jimeria Williams is a graduating senior at Spelman College from Leeds, Ala. She describes herself as an analytical, creative, free-spirited artist. This is reflected by her business, Jim’s Paintbox, where she is able to bring her ideas to life as a makeup artist.

She has been doing makeup since high school, which she began to explore with

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her clique of friends.

Williams is very close to her mother, who is also her biggest fashion influence.

She describes her mother as being “fly as hell.” In fact, she inherited her love of beauty, specifically her appreciation of red lipstick, perfume and vibrant colors– her stylistic signatures--from her mother.

She absolutely glows when mentioning her mother.

“My mom is 62, so she had me when she was 40,” Williams says. “She had already established herself and she had time to really pour into me and allow me to do whatever I wanted. That goes from expressing myself creatively, intellectually, visually, everything. It was cool.”

Because of this, her love of fashion and makeup was allowed to thrive. For her, this is her true passion.

“Makeup is powerful,” Williams says.

“That’s an understatement. It’s not confined to women or femaleness. You can be whoever you want to be when you put on a full face. There’s so much confidence attached with that for a lot of people who wear makeup. You know, if you’re feeling bad one day, just putting on mascara can make you feel better.”

Her business is a vehicle for her to connect with others while allowing her to fulfill the larger purpose of Jim’s Paintbox: womanism through beauty.

The first thing one comes to understand when speaking to Davia Murray is the endless love she has for her hometown.

“I don’t want to say life was like a movie, but there’s no better city than Chicago in my opinion,” Murray said. “Chicago is home of some of the most diverse artists, stylists, designers and rappers.”

Her interest in fashion was pronounced from a young age.

“I remember being a little girl and I wanted to be a fashion designer, so of course I was watching America’s Next Top Model,” she said. “I was looking at Tyra Banks, people like that.”

Today, her fashion sense, and her influences, are more eclectic. She counts her influences today as being Tracee Ellis Ross, Solange and Rihanna.

“I’ve never been that girl that’s had that distinct style,” Murray said. “I’ve always valued diversity. I like to channel a different look every day.”

When putting together an outfit, comfort and personal aesthetic are most import-

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ant.

“It’s never been about the designers for me,” Murray said. “I like the thrifty find.

You might catch me at Rag-O-Rama picking out some nice stuff. I feel like a lot of people associate style with money and high end designers, but it’s not about them, it’s about what you like.”

She wants to pursue broadcast journalism long-term and would ideally work in the arts and entertainment realm hosting fashion shows.

Memphis is a city rich in history and culture. It’s the home of Elvis and Three 6 Mafia.

It could also be seen as the ultimate home of the underdog exemplified by its beloved “grit and grind” Memphis Grizzlies. Despite having all the tools to be a major market, it tends to be disregarded at the hands of its larger southern counterparts like Atlanta and Houston.

Much like his city, Jordan Littlejohn is also overlooked. Many people turn a blind eye to his stylistic genius, and he recognizes it.

“Growing up in Memphis, a lot of guys are closed off from the fashion world,” he says. “All guys know is Polo and Jordans.”

Littlejohn remembers always gravitating to the bright colors of fashion icons like Pharrell and Kanye. However, his biggest influence came sophomore year of high school when he heard Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky.

Rocky name-dropped fashion designers like Raf Simons and Rick Owens on his debut project “Live.Love.A$AP,” and it immediately piqued Littlejohn’s interest.

He began to do his research, and learned about brands like BAPE and UNDERCOVER and became a student of the culture.

Now, he’s one of the most stylish people in the entire AUC. He’s able to stay on the cutting edge of fashion because of one of his favorite hobbies: window shopping and piecing together outfits in the Safari browser of his iPhone.

Still, he never forgets the giant chip he carries on his shoulder.

“Being an underdog is being able to do things that people never thought you’d be able to do,” Littlejohn says. “I’m sure a lot of people would think somebody from Memphis wouldn’t have style in comparison to guys from New York or LA or DC, you know, fashionable cities. I want to be able to prove people wrong. People from

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Memphis can dress too. It’s not limited to geography, it’s on the individual.”

The Black Farmer

By James Jones Keithville, Louisiana is a small town right outside of Shreveport, and about two hours outside of Dallas. It’s also the place that birthed Isaac McFarland, a Morehouse College junior majoring in Business Marketing.

Those here in the AUC know him best as “The Black Farmer.”

As the moniker suggests, McFarland grew up on a farm.

“Essentially, my family grew up on a farm,” McFarland said. “We’re 25-plus years in raising black angus cattle. We also show them; it’s like a formal dog show, but with a cow.

He laments the fact that Blacks are underrepresented in this endeavor. Oftentimes, another Black family will join the competition only to leave two years later.

It’s lonely at the top, indeed.

He proudly shows off a picture on his phone of Coco Chanel, one of the family’s show cows that they got from Illinois.

“The lifespan of these cows is like two years, it’s so fast-paced,” McFarland said.

“At the age of six months, we start to wean them to get them show ready. It’s a lot of tying them up, brushing them, washing them, blowing them off. It’s work; I just grew up working.”

For McFarland, understanding his upbringing on the farm is crucial to his story and his entrance into the world of style and fashion.

“What guided me into fashion, I would say, is the farm,” he says. “The clothing is very natural to me. You have to be able to work in it.”

This is further compounded considering the fact that in elementary and middle school, he was required to wear a uniform, which meant that there was little space for individual expression there. Style wasn’t really a thing yet.

However, once he got to high school, things began to change.

“I went to a private school with people who didn’t grow up on farms,” McFarland said. “So for me, it was about leaving those spaces and going back twice a day feeding the animals. It’s a lot of transitioning. So, I would say there, I grew my best ’sense of style.’”

He was also influenced by his siblings, in

particular, an older brother who also attended Morehouse. He exposed Isaac to streetwear.

“My older siblings really influenced my style,” McFarland said. “My brother is like slick bougie, so he was always wearing Polo.”

From there, Isaac experimented like a mad scientist.

“It was trial and error, for real,” McFarland says. “I think that’s the best way to learn your own style.”

He wouldn’t say he models himself after any particular celebrity, but he did learn from watching others’ swagger. He always appreciated the way that Pharrell and Andre 3000 have their own lane.

“I think it’s all about how you carry yourself,” he said. “It’s all about how you move. You could have the best outfit and still be a cornball.”

He also makes sure not to look too hard at what others are wearing, because otherwise; he would only end up looking like them, which he sees as disrespectful.

That’s also his best advice for anyone looking to develop their own style.

“You never want to just copy anyone,” McFarland said. “That’s plagiarism, and at some point, you have to be true to yourself.”

Staying true to himself and true to his family means everything for McFarland.

That’s why all of his clothes carry the “McFarland Family Clinic” logo, which he wears as a badge of honor. Fashion is his way of fulfilling his ultimate goal: providing for his family and educating the youth on the important things in life.

From day one, Maya Reynolds has always been passionate about fashion.

Growing up, she took a special interest in Rihanna and her sense of style. She’s always been a fan of Rihanna’s willingness to experiment with her clothing. Today, she counts influencer Aleali May and Marjorie Harvey as her biggest inspirations.

This is reflected when one asks her to describe her aesthetic.

“Very street chic,” Reynolds said. “I love gym shoes. It’s rare that you’ll catch me wearing heels unless I have to. I’m in love with sneakers; and then outfit-wise, I just love to be comfy, but I also like to show my figure.”

She’s especially passionate about showing her figure because she sees so many people being shamed for doing the same.

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Despite being such a stylish person, Reynolds typically avoids the spotlight.

She never wants to be seen as the person doing too much.

“I’m very into humble-flex,” she said. “I don’t like for things to say ‘Balenciaga’ or ‘Gucci,’ anything like that. If you know, then you know. I’m not really into taking pictures to flex.”

Regardless of her obvious fashion acumen, Reynolds doesn’t see herself becoming a clothing designer. Instead, she’d rather be a personal shopper, putting clothes and outfits together. Of course, she’d love to style her role model, Rihanna.

That being said, the ultimate goal is to open her own “Geek Squad,” with an allblack woman staff of technicians.

It goes without saying that they’d have a stylish workplace.

“Stylistically, I want my business dressed like ‘this is today’s color scheme, do what you want with it,’” Reynolds said. “I’m very big into tattoos; I have nine, so I definitely don’t see my business as a place where you have to be all covered up. I want people to be able to be themselves, but still look put together.”

Who says being yourself and being a professional are mutually exclusive?

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MAN OF THE YEAR

WORDS CLARISSA BROOKS C. ISAIAH SMALLS PHOTOGRAPHY AUSTYN WYCHE JAMES JONES & K. RICH

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RIVER LEWIS JAMES SPIKES MARY PAT HECTOR

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A Feeling: Activists for Change in the AUC

By Clarissa Brooks “Where there is power, there is resistance.”

Michel Foucault, French philosopher

The 21st century can feel like living wi th ghosts. Activism in this day and age can feel like living out a legacy that no one can pin down. Trying to live up to phantoms and outlines of great men and women can seem like trying to catch smoke. Chipping away at oppression, white supremacy and the patriarchy have been the long-fraught battles of countless nameless ancestors.

In 2018, it can seem impossible, uncomfortable and ill-fated to step into a legacy that has killed many before you. To declare to the world that you will put yourself on the line for others can feel like walking blindly in a dark room, grasping at ghosts. There is no guide to organizing, no guide to the do’s and don’ts of being an activist in the age of cancel culture in which social media tries to end the careers or no longer support people who have made problematic statements.

The terms of insurrection are catchy, the language of revolution and change are easy to say at panels but rarely are they met with action. Rarely are these words met with matched energy and the sweaty passion that it demands. Few can illustrate what it means to be a part of history.

“I work to liberate the people so that future generations will have a world free of systems that hinder their happiness,” says Mar’Taize Gaines, a graduating senior from Morehouse College. “[The] work looks like visceral feelings of joy and pain! The work is more related to an inner feeling than to an outward expression.”

As a sophomore at Morehouse College, Gaines joined a small organization called AUC Shut It Down, where he found a space to organize around

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fighting for black liberation. Outside of his organizing work, Gaines also was a residential advisor for three years and a proud member of Morehouse’s Glee Club for all four years. Through his own work to liberate black folks, Gaines wants to create a better world. He will continue to do this at Vanderbilt University next year through a Ph.D. program in Sociology.

In 2015, Gaines and eight other members of AUC Shut It Down interrupted then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The group of organizers looked to hold Clinton accountable for her tokenization of black college students and her assumption that they would support her candidacy for president. The direct action led to national coverage and much pushback from students, alum, and faculty around what blackness and the Democratic Party are guilty of in the face of a conservative majority.

Yet, it is not the national attention or notoriety that keeps Gaines involved as an organizer and scholar. Gaines stays for the momentary connection to a taste of unadulterated liberation that is hard to verbalize.

Fighting to work around gun control since the age of 11, Hector is not new to the call for justice and speaking up in a world not ready for your voice. Hector ran for City Council in Stonecrest, Georgia, this past year at the age of 19 and is currently the National Action Network’s Youth Director alongside Rev. Al Sharpton.

“By the time I was 15, I had attended more funerals than graduations,” Hector says. “Following working on gun violence where I grew up, I got connected with the National Action Network where I became vocal on issues impacting people of color such as police brutality, student hunger, gun violence and more.”

Hector’s run for City Council in Stonecrest made national news.

A college student at the age of 1 9 was

“The organizers that I have met, the ancestors whose work I continue, and the future I fight for! What keeps me going is a feeling. It’s a feeling of euphoria that vibrates through the community in our highest moments. That’s what keeps me going,” Gaines says.

The want to change the world is far off and hard to conceptualize. For black students in the AUC, it can seem easiest to stay the course than to travel down an unbeaten path.

For others, the unbeaten path is the only way to freedom.

Mary Pat-Hector is a giant among men and women. A rising senior at Spelman College, Hector’s name was known before she arrived on campus, her legacy as an activist in her hometown of Lithonia, Georgia, is the thing of legends.

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maki n g a new path, walking blindly into a legacy of change that was unknown.

During the spring semester, Hector’s AUC chapter of NAN (National Action Network) was able to lead an effective hunger strike that led to the creation

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of the unlimited commuter meal plan for Spelman students and 14,000 free meal plans a year for commuting Morehouse students.

Hector says her proudest organizing effort was, “Definitely the 6-day hunger strike! When my organization (NAN) organized that hunger strike at Spelman and Morehouse, many members were afraid of how the administration would treat them moving forward. I won’t lie and act like my relationships with some people aren’t different now, because some are.

“However, now commuter students at Spelman can walk in the cafe and eat, and frankly that’s all that matters. That was the most epic action with real results on campus by far and I am beyond

about organizing and activism is when the very people you fight for will say you’re not working hard enough,” Hector says. “They’ll complain when you don’t move how they want you to. They’ll only see the awards and the glamor but they won’t see how lonely you are. You go against these systems of power and you are completely isolated. I am still working on finding balance in my life. It may look like I have it all together, but I don’t.”

For River Lewis, activism looks different. Focusing primarily on Atlanta’s inner-city youth, Lewis wants the next generation to know that someone cares.

This, along with the advice from his grandmother, led him to start Operation Summer Exposure.

“She told me that God doesn’t always have time to be here so he blesses others knowing that they are going to bless more people,” Lewis says. “So I always look at life like that, you know, in a sense of I need to bless more so that I can receive more so that I able to bless even more. It’s putting that good, positive energy within the universe to get it back.”

Nowadays, ripping kids away from their electronics can seem like an impossible task. Enter Operation Summer Exposure. The summer program gives inner city youths the opportunity to engage in outdoor activities like rock climbing and canoeing.

proud.”

H e c t o r ’s views and work are clear and evident. Hector manages to balance school, work, life and play in the best way she knows how.

“The hardest part

Capitalizing on the AUC’s party culture, he also began throwing social events with a community service twist. Most recently, Lewis held a canned food drive in the form of a day party. Rather than charge for admission, Lewis requested that entrants bring a canned food.

“We go out and we spend all this money on buying sections at the club, buying bottles and things like that but we can party and do all that and have it geared towards the community so it’s uplifting so, in a sense, it’s helping the community,” Lewis says. “And we’re still partying and having fun and all that at the

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same time.”

James Spikes, likes Lewis, takes a different approach to activism. Named Bonner Senior Intern prior to the start of 2017-18 school year, his work over the past four years has finally been recognized. The recognition, however, doesn’t motivate the Houston native.

Spikes’ true motivation happens to be giving a voice to the voiceless. His work with homeless shelters and inner-city youths attest to this.

“I work to liberate others by asserting that the future belongs to those who have choice,” Spikes says. “I believe that choice is a product of knowledge and by creating an environment where knowledge thrives you’ve created an opportunity for liberation.

“In order to create this environment, you have to adapt a sense of community. You have to be willing to listen to those that often go unheard. This matters because no one deserves to go unheard or without choice.”

It is this work that makes Spikes unique. Whereas Gaines and Hector attack injustice head on, Spikes focuses on working with those most affected by racism and prejudice. Only through the efforts of both sides will this country ever reach a place of understanding.

“Having a deep concern about the welfare of others and the existence of injustice can be overwhelming and psychologically taxing,” says Spikes. “It’s important to acknowledge that there is good in the world and that although injustice exists, so does liberty and opportunity.”

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THE JUGGERNAUTS

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TYRIUS WALKER AKA T-WALK

Tyrius Walker- Kinesiology/Atlanta, GA

priceless.”

Do you feel like you’re an underdog entering the draft?

What do you do to prove people wrong?

“I definitely do. Just because NBA teams know Morehouse isn’t a big basketball school and it’s in Division II, so the odds are definitely against me. I know what I can do and what I’m blessed with, so I’m not worried about that and haven’t been since high school.”

What was your favorite part of the historic season?

“Just the love that my teammates and I were getting around campus and worldwide. I felt like we were slept on as a school and to see it come alive on campus made me enjoy it even more.”

Do you think having so much college experience gives you a leg up on the other players in your draft class?

“I wouldn’t say it gives me a leg up because if you can play then you can play, if you know the game then that’s all that matters. But having experience just makes things better on my end just because they know that I can do both.” a What will you miss most about playing here at Morehouse?

“I will miss my coaches who gave me the opportunity, my teammates who help me make all this happen and my supporters who just make me play harder because seeing their reactions is

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“I’ve been an underdog my whole life so I’m just going to continue to do what I’ve been doing, just playing my game and people will recognize me no matter what school I came from. People will start waking up.

As I stated before, I just have to turn it up to another level.”

What do you do to prove doubters wrong?

“Just working out with my trainers every day to get ready for the draft workouts and combine that I got invited to by some NBA teams. It’s a tough process getting your body prepared, but I know this is God’s Plan so I’m willing to do what it takes.”

(Tyrius did not get drafted, but was invited to play for the New York Knicks’ summer league team.)

Jamel Chambers (Boxer)- Political Science, Pre-Law Track/Chicago, Illinois In your field of boxing, have you felt like you were an underdog?

“I feel like boxing is its own unique sport. It’s really hard to consider someone an underdog in boxing because you could be the better fighter, but it all depends on how well you train for the fight. In my own personal experience, I’ve never been considered an underdog being that I’m undefeated. It’s really hard to consider someone 20-0 an underdog.”

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What was your favorite moment boxing?

“My favorite moment while boxing came last year around this same time when I got the opportunity to fight in the Junior Olympics in front of Evander Holyfield and Roy Jones Jr. After my fight I took a photo with the two hall of famers and Holyfield gave me some words of encouragement.”

What did you take away from that event?

“The event was a lot of pressure on me because it was the Junior Olympics and when you see two hall of fame fighters in the front row, you kind of want to put on a big show for them.”

How has your time at Morehouse been?

“I’m a fourth-generation man of Morehouse, so it was kind of my only choice.

Since I’ve been here, I’ve been heavily involved in many organizations like the Presidential Ambassadors, SGA and I founded the first ever AUC boxing club.

My time here has been pleasant and I’ve enjoyed all of my brothers here and all of the connections I’ve made.”

Tell me about the AUC Boxing Club.

“I founded the club in my first semester here and it ended up getting chartered in the second semester of my freshman year. It was kind of rocky getting it started because a lot of the school officials didn’t feel that it would be a safe and proactive club, but after talking to them they eventually came around and saw that boxing was truly an art so the club started and opportunities spread.”

What do you like most about boxing?

“I really like how disciplined boxing makes you in and out of the ring. When you’re training for a fight you have to be disciplined and cut out certain foods, partying and drinking.”

If you do feel like an underdog, what do you do to prove people wrong?

“Last year I had a Golden Gloves fight

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against a fighter that was six inches taller than me and people were telling me he knocked out his last opponent and this was going to be a hard fight for me, but I just kept my head strong and stuck to the game plan. I stuck to the plan and got inside and won. In boxing, a lot of people are going to try to get in your head, so you just have to stay focused.”

“When I was younger I used to try to imitate Muhammad Ali and his footwork, but I think the greatest fighter is Mike Tyson. My father would tell me not to get caught up with everyone else’s style and just focus on what you’re doing, but I kind of just take what I like from different boxers and craft it into my own style.”

How did you get into boxing?

“My cousin Danell Nicholson competed in the 1992 Olympics and ended up going pro and holding the heavyweight title for a while. My father was also a real big boxer growing up, but he stopped boxing because he wanted to be a father to me and my younger siblings. So, since the age of 6, my father and my cousin have had me in the gym training and helped my father kind of live his dream through me.”

What are your long-term goals athletically or for your career?

“Currently, I’m training to get into the 2020 Olympics. I had a trial fight this May, but I got injured so I won’t be able to fight in that. The trial fight was over in Australia so I’m disappointed I couldn’t go to that, but I’m going to continue training and then I’m going to try and get back into another qualifying fight. I don’t see myself boxing long term. Although I like boxing as a hobby, I feel like my purpose in life is to be a civil rights attorney, representing people of color with low incomes. Ultimately, I would like to sit as the mayor of Chicago.”

Boxing Class and Stats “I fight in the Phantom weight class, which is 123 pounds.”

Who do you look up to in the boxing world?

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JEMEL AKA THE CHAMP

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PHOTOGRAPHY K. RICH

WORDS TYLER MITCHELL

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THE INTELLECTUALS

PHOTOGRAPHY AUSTYN WYCHE JAMES JONES

WORDS STORM RAFAEL

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Darian Nwankwo Senior/Computer Science Major Decatur, GA SR: What does it mean to be an intellectual?

DN: To be an intellectual means to always be questioning. It means to never take anything given as is, but to question, challenge and research for yourself.

SR: What things do you do to grow and challenge your intellectual capabilities?

DN: I am an extremist—an all in or all out kind of person. I give my all to growing and challenging my intellect. I always have a journal and a book with me so that I can read and journal my thoughts and things I learn. Also, at one point--for a period of nine months--I would take a cold shower every day. I also have practiced 24-hour fasting sometimes. These practices come from the stoic philosophy of “intentional discomfort” and have helped me to maintain and challenge my intellectual growth. Additionally, I try to exercise for one hour daily, because exercise correlates with stimulating mental capabilities.

SR: How have you overcome self-doubt regarding your intellect?

DN: I didn’t originally plan to attend college.

I was going to enlist in the Marines, but my father encouraged me to attend Morehouse.

While I have been at Morehouse, my professors have helped me to overcome self-doubt by reassuring me of my intelligence. Professors like Dr. Cooper of the Mathematics department, Doctors Howard, Gosha, Dennis and Johnson of Computer Science and Dr. Coles of the Leadership Center are just some of the many professors who have mentored me and helped me along the way.

SR: What have you done to create balance between academics and social activities?

DN: For a time, I was partying during school days and had to step back because I realized that balance was missing. I began re-prioritizing my time between academics and social activities to make sure I placed my studies first.

SR: What are your post-graduate aspirations?

DN: I plan to go into a Ph.D program with a focus on the advancement of science in areas of artificial intelligence and research.

I want to teach at an R1 (highest research activity) university and eventually return to teach at Morehouse College.

Darius D. Johnson Senior/English Major Mobile, AL SR: What does it mean to be an intellectual?

DJ: An intellectual is someone aware of what’s taking place around him or her. An intellectual is a problem solver, who recognizes the issues around them, identifies the source of the issue and proposes solutions.

SR: What things do you do to grow and challenge your intellectual capabilities?

DJ: First, I interact with people of diverse backgrounds (religious, cultural, political) because it allows me to see how others think. Second, I read various texts, such as African-American literature or political non-fiction, and this enables me to see how others convey ideas differently and the written critiques they offer on certain topics.

Third, I place myself in spaces that make me uncomfortable and around people whom I do not know. In these spaces, I try to create simple dialogue, so I can learn from those I am speaking with.

SR: How have you overcome self-doubt regarding your intellect?

DJ: I use different methods. I speak with my friends about the doubt I am facing—like if I am intimidated by a specific class—and they will often hype me up, but they always keep it real. I also remind myself what got me to where I am. My whole life has been adversity, so if I got through the adversities in my past, I know I can overcome selfdoubt.

SR: What have you done to create balance between academics and social activities?

DJ: School always comes first; however, I don’t allow school to overrule everything. I allocate my time to put class work first—typically doing my class work in the morning or right after class—and when I am not doing class work, I am hanging out with friends, or participating in co-curriculars and extra-curriculars.

SR: What are your post-graduate aspirations?

DJ: I plan to attend Fordham University School of Law in the fall and eventually become a federal judge. Although I cannot choose a concentration until my second year of law school, my interests include international human rights, litigation and prosecution. I desire to educate the Black

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community about the legal field, represent marginalized groups globally and make the law fairer for everyone.

Derrick Parker Senior/Political Science Major Kansas City, MO SR: What does it mean to be an intellectual?

DP: It means to constantly question the world around you and look for solutions to the problems you observe.

SR: What things do you do to grow and challenge your intellectual capabilities?

DP: I read often. I also talk to people who I admire and are more intelligent than me.

I also place myself in uncomfortable environments around those who think differently than I do. As well, I listen to a variety of speakers, and one of my favorite speakers is former president Barack Obama.

SR: How have you overcome self-doubt regarding your intellect?

DP: I reassure myself that I belong in the spaces I am in. Also, I remind myself that no matter where I come from, I can make a difference.

SR: What have done to create balance between academics and social activities?

DP: Balance is important. Elevation requires separation, so I create personal time for myself to reflect. I also hang with friends and my line brothers. Academically, identifying goals and the opportunities I have help to keep me focused.

SR: What are your post-graduate aspirations? (cont. page 46) DP: Attending Harvard Law School and moving back home to become involved in politics.

Jordan Mulkey English Major Miami, FL SR: What does it mean to be an intellectual?

JM: Having a critical disposition towards everything. It means ridding oneself of immaturity and the things society has told you to accept. Being an intellectual means the refusal and interrogation of everything.

SR: What things do you do to grow and challenge your intellectual capabilities?

JM: I read. One of the books I have read multiple times is “The Fire Next Time”—it is quietly chilling, prophetic and examines

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Jelon

Alexander,

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Jordan

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Mosby,

Matt

Young,

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Derrick

Parker,

Dariusa

Johnson,

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Jordan

Mulkey

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and critiques radical movements under white supremacy. I also participate in conversations with people who challenge me intellectually and surround myself with friends and mentors who are invested in the critical investigation of life.

SR: How have you overcome self-doubt regarding your intellect?

JM: There is a necessary level of self-doubt that keeps you pressing for the next level. I realize that I will never know it all and that helps to keep me vulnerable in my fight to learn.

SR: What have you done to create balance between academics and social activities?

JM: I am not sure I have created balance.

The academic is social and the social is academic. I make no binary distinction between the two. I allow them to exist in harmony, overlap and inform one another.

SR: What are your post-graduate aspirations?

JM: Pursue a Ph.D program with a concentration in African-American Studies or an area of study involving women, gender and sexuality. I am a writer by trade, so I want to continue writing; and eventually, I want to become a tenured professor at Morehouse College.

my accomplishments and my intelligence.

Specifically, it caused me to question my ability to debate and thinking I was not as good as I ought to be. Talking with my parents, coaches, team members and alum has helped. I also approach life with a cup-halffull perspective, which allows me to deal with self-doubt in a positive way.

SR: What have you done to create balance between academics and social activities?

KM: Interacting with the debate team members and my Mellon Mays Fellows has helped me create balance because they uniquely understand what it takes to balance school and a social life, given that we all have share involvement in similar activities. My girlfriend has also helped bring balance to my life. My humanity comes before my intellectualism, so I take care of self first so I can maintain a healthy balance academically and socially.

SR: What are your post-graduate aspirations: KM: Long-term, either law school, education policy or a Ph.D program with a philosophy focus. I don’t believe I have experienced enough in life to definitively know yet, so I want to explore more first. Short-term, I plan to be an educator for Teach For America here in Atlanta for a two year term.

Keith Matier Senior/Philosophy Major Winston Salem, NC

Je’lon Alexander Senior/History Major Chesapeake, VA

SR: What does it mean to be an intellectual?

KM: My personal definition of an intellectual is someone who has an insatiable thirst for knowledge—new knowledge.

SR: What things do you do to grow and challenge your intellectual capabilities?

KM: I am a debate team captain here at Morehouse College, and the debate team forms an intellectual community. The tournaments we participate in involve a wide range of topics, so it incentivizes me to learn and know more. Aside from participating with the debate team, I also listen to podcasts, read various texts, listen to the words of my grandparents and so on. I do not limit myself to one medium of knowledge but seek to have as many data inputs as possible.

SR: How have you overcome self-doubt regarding your intellect?

KM: I have dealt with the “imposter syndrome” before, which caused me to doubt

SR: What does it mean to be an intellectual?

JA: Thinking out the box. It means to use one’s intellect as a weapon against ignorance and oppression.

SR: What things do you do to grow and challenge your intellectual capabilities?

JA: I take time to read and write. I also have conversations with friends who challenge me to question things. The topics discussed at Crown Forum help to grow and challenge me intellectually as well.

SR: How have you overcome self-doubt regarding your intellect?

JA: Maintaining faith and self-confidence and knowing that I may not have all the answers but I can learn to find the answers I need. Also, being in a position as the history club president to inspire and lead others has helped me overcome self-doubt.

SR: What have you done to create balance between academics and social activities?

JA: Academically, I do what’s possible and

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necessary. I take breaks from academics to manage stress, and spend my free time outdoors, hanging with friends or attending various events on and off campus.

SR: What are your post-graduate aspirations?

JA: I want to teach history at an HBCU or even a PWI. Wherever I teach, I want it to be a place where I am comfortable educating and accepted. Additionally, I want to create a publishing company that publishes scholars representing multiple areas of academic disciplines.

Jordan Mosby Junior/Sociology Major Largo, MD SR: What does it mean to be an intellectual?

JM: To be an intellectual means to think. I think it’s often correlated with professors and academic scholars; but to me, it just means to think. I think you use your intellect when you’re able to think about something, some idea and it’s depth.

Applying the things you know, and your personal experience to the idea in front of you, that’s using your intellect.

SR: What things do you do to grow and challenge your intellectual capabilities?

JM: School. Morehouse is challenging my intellect right now and it goes beyond the classroom. Majoring in Sociology, I’m able to discover things about the social world and see them in action as soon as I leave the classroom. Most things I learn are readily applicable. I think application is the ultimate test of your intellect. Being able to use the things you learn, see, hear and experience to generate some action or thought process in you that allows you to have an impact. Trying to use the things I learn and experience to become a better person is how I challenge my intellectual capabilities.

SR: How have you overcome self-doubt regarding your intellect?

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JM: I’m still working on it! I doubt myself a lot. Constantly. I think it’s helpful; but presently, it keeps me in a state of uncertainty. I think that’s a good thing, though. It reminds me that I never know everything, that I haven’t experienced everything and that there is always more to understand. I always say that I write my ideas and beliefs in pencil.

They’re always moving and susceptible to change. Doubt allows me to trust in myself but keep a humility because I can always be wrong.

SR: What have you done to create balance between academics and social activities?

JM: I have to schedule. I have a planner and write everything in it, from eating to the things I need to accomplish in a given day. I plan things out and make sure that I’m allocating time to my classes and my friends. I also am intentional about being singularly focused. I try not to overlap work and social time.

If I’m working, I’m working and if I’m relaxing, I’m relaxing and not spending time thinking about work.

SR: What are your post-graduate aspirations?

JM: Post undergrad, I plan on going to grad school. I am considering a Masters of Development Practice or a doctorate in Sociology. Ultimately, I want to work to get resources to underprivileged groups. I think that’s going to take many different forms from writing education policy to working with communities in different countries to see what resources they need and seeing how they can be best allocated to them.

Matthew Young Senior/Biology Major, Spanish Minor Los Angeles, CA SR: What does it mean to be an intellectual?

MY: Being an intellectual does not revolve around how much knowledge or mental capacity someone possesses. An intellectual represents a person who has an inner desire to learn and understand as much as he or

she can. Therefore, intellectuals may not always know the ins-and-outs of everything, but once they come across anything they do not know, they work tirelessly to understand the subject matter to improve not only their lives but also the lives of others.

SR: What things do you do to grow and challenge your intellectual capabilities?

MY: Before entering Morehouse, my father continually said that Morehouse and the whole AUC is filled with “nuggets of gold.”

It did not take long for me to realize that these “golden nuggets” represented the people in the AUC and the wisdom they possess. Surrounding myself with these people of various backgrounds and experiences has allowed me to become a more culturally conscious and well-rounded individual.

Also, initiating conversations that dealt with my professors’ expertise challenged me to refine my knowledge and reinforced the fact that I will always be in a constant state of learning.

SR: How have you overcome self-doubt regarding your intellect?

MY: I often questioned my abilities in my time in the AUC. Being surrounded by so many brilliant women and men has been extremely inspiring, yet I would wonder how I could keep up with the academic intelligence and social acuity of my fellow peers.

To overcome my self-doubt, I kept reminding myself that we all learn at different paces. By taking things at my own pace, I was able to break down things into my own language, which helped reinforce my conceptual knowledge of what I was studying.

SR: What have you done to create balance between academics and social activities?

MY: Time management was a challenge during my undergraduate career. However, although academics could be overwhelming at points, I purposely made time to do what I loved to do. Studying effectively for a fixed time proved to be more effective over studying all day and night. There were many nights that I spent in the books, but electing hours of free time kept me sane. Balance is relative to everyone, but there is always time for one’s passions.

SR: What are your post-graduate aspirations?

MY: After graduation, I will be on my way to medical school. As of now, I am interested in primary care, specifically family medicine or pediatrics. As a future physician, I aim

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to serve as an advocate for my patients in underserved populations and communities.

In all of this, I hope to live by my motto of being a man for others.

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MAN OF THE YEAR IBRAHIM CONTEH WORDS: C. Isaiah Smalls II PHOTOGRAPHY: Austyn Wyche

On the surface, Ibrahim Conteh seemed well-adjusted. He had it all; a Google internship for three consecutive summers, 3.77 GPA, Presidential Ambassador, Phi Beta Kappa, President of the Muslim Student Association (MSA)—the list goes on. It’s difficult to imagine that he once struggled with finding his place in the Atlanta University Center. Something was just missing.

“Whenever I go home, I feel 10 times more free: I can be myself,” Conteh said. “I think that’s one of the reasons I couldn’t be myself [at the AUC] because I just wasn’t comfortable here.”

Being unable to pinpoint the source of his discomfort tormented the California native. “I’m my own biggest critic,” Conteh says as he reflects on his past. What began as genuine discomfort eventually transformed into depression.

“I was seeking validation from institutions,” Conteh said, “so that comes from school—all these accolades—[I realized] that didn’t make me a better person.”

He then had a choice: suffer in silence or seek help. Forever dedicated to self-improvement, he chose the latter.

“Just seeking out different people—whether it’s professional or personal—to guide me as I work through my journey,” Conteh said. “At the end of the day, people can tell you all these different things, all these techniques to love yourself but the biggest activator is to start to value the little things in life that you have.”

Conteh’s breakthrough came when he did just that. The first-born child of Sierra-Leonean immigrants, Conteh realized just how blessed he truly was: “My parents came from

villages [and now] they’re living in the United States,” Conteh said. “A lot of my family members are still in Africa—some of them are uneducated, some of them are—regardless, some of them have to struggle in Sierra Leone and I’m here privileged as hell.”

This realization afforded him a whole new lease on life. Not only did Conteh begin to thoroughly enjoy his time in the AUC, it allowed him to step outside of himself and do things for others.

In addition to his support system, Conteh credited his faith for helping him rediscover his purpose.

“It made me realize that nothing in life is forever,” Conteh said, “and that I would have to do the best I can with the time that I have now.”

By his senior year, everything had come full circle. Having overcome his own insecurities, Conteh wanted to create a space

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where others could do the same. With the help of various members of MSA, Conteh accomplished something that hadn’t been done since the ’80s.

“We established first permanent (Muslim) prayer space in 30 years at Morehouse,” Conteh said. “That’s been a huge milestone for us for the simple fact that Morehouse has been pretty antagonistic towards Muslim students in a certain sense.”

While he will probably shrug it off, Conteh is a role model for young Black children across the country. Black faces in the STEM field are few and far between. This was something Although extremely humble concerning his accomplishments, there is a distinct fire in his eyes that signifies an eagerness to not just excel but to be the greatest in his field.

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE W OT Y THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

2017-2018

THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

THE FUTURE THE NEW GUARD THE ESTABLISHMENT THE TITANS HALL OF FAME THE WAYFAYERS THE ENTREPRENEURS WOMEN OF THE YEAR WOMAN OF THE YEAR

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MAN OF THE YEAR

Brandon Brown A Bio Pre-med major from the Southside of Chicago is focused on elevating himself and paving the way for his brothers. Though he’s only a freshman, Brandon Brown has already managed to create a reputation for himself on campus.

He is a part of National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) as well as CASA, he participated in the Amber Camps program and has been accepted into the Morehouse School of Medicine Pipeline Program as well as Dartmouth Medical Research Program for this upcoming summer.

Upon graduation he plans to attend medical school in hopes of possibly becoming a neurosurgeon. What separates Brown from the rest of the freshman class is his reason for wanting success.

Brandon claims that his drive to be great comes from his mom, saying that before her he “never really saw the point of community service.” But from “looking at the impact it has on other people’s lives,” he has become way more inclined to help those around him, whether it’s by leading by example as a student or participating in community service events.

As a Chicago native, Brown has noticed a major difference in the quality of resources given to residents of the Northside versus those on the Southside.

“Seeing the difference in our neighborhoods and their neighborhoods, I was like man I really need to make a change. That’s why I came to Morehouse, to acquire all the knowledge and tools to make that change in my community.” Brown said.

By the time he’s a senior Brown mentioned the legacy that he wants to leave. “I want them to be like ‘That’s the man on campus.

That’s the guy you need to get to know.’” The reason behind wanting this legacy is again rooted in being able to help others with the platform that he hopes to create for himself. He mentioned how one of his Georgetown Medical School-bound on-campus mentors helped a fellow Morehouse

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The Future

student get in the very next year.

“He could do that for me one day,” Brown said. “It’s all about relationships. It’s all family though man. It’s all love.”

Lastly, Brandon expounded upon how he is an underdog as well as his excitement and commitment to doing well at Dartmouth this summer.

“Being a black man period, you’re already considered an underdog. I’m probably going to be the darkest one on campus doing internship stuff. That’s kind of what motivates me. Because if I’m here, my brothers can come here too, and that’s my ultimate goal right now.”

Erynn Perkins – Freshman Political Science major; communications minor from Los Angeles, California.

Erynn Perkins, a freshman Political Science major; communications minor has experience well beyond his years. It is clear that Perkins is a results driven leader that’s not afraid to stand up for what he thinks is right. While he hasn’t yet affiliated himself with one specific campus organization he has worked with SGA, Chapel Assistants Program, the Program Relations Director in Brazeal Hall as well as food services to maintain the cafeteria standards. Perkins credits his ability to make an impact as a freshman at Morehouse to his prior leadership positions in high school.

Perkins claims to have started his career three years prior as a freshman in high school. Some of his prior experience includes working with the State of California as well as former California Governor Jerry Brown.

“I’ve worked with them on bills, written legislation and worked in several different offices,” Perkins said. “ I was also in a program called Youth In Government where I was elected the 68th Chief Clerk of the Assembly and 69th Secretary of Senate. So I’ve worked inside of the capital for about 2-3 years in those positions to ignite change in the state.”

Throughout the interview it became more obvious that Perkins’ main goal was to incite change

wherever he saw fit. “In 9th grade, I started the SGA of my high school,” Perkins said, “and [was] executive student director until I graduated.”

When asked where his passion to make change came from he explained that he “had been bullied by other kids” and refused to let that be anybody else at my high school.”

“I felt it necessary to make sure that never happened,” Perkins said.

Joshua Burrell – Freshman CTEMS Major from Colombia, MD The freshman CTEMS major from Columbia, Maryland has had a knack for drawing since youth, however he plans to use his gift to change the narrative of the Black community and marginalized people across the globe.

Joshua Burrell claims he got into drawing because of his older brother.

“I looked up to him and followed him. He used to draw pictures and anime...so I did it. I kind of got an affinity for it. As I got older though I started reading books and watching films and realized I wanna be a multimedia mogul. I wanna take media to its threshold of expression of the individual or expression of the group.”

Being at an HBCU, Burrell is in a great place to start his career.

“Morehouse is seen as a microcosm of the black community, and I wanna do that by telling stories of the black community that aren’t as well known,” Burrell said. “But I wanna open up the stories to different types of marginalization, different types of oppressions.”

He really believes that people need to see all sides of the everyday struggle that is growing up black in America.

“I want to change the perceptions of marginalized people period.”

Dreshawn Spearman – Freshman Business mgmt. major from Fayetville, NC Dreshawn Spearman’s faith and fearlessness to achieve his dreams is what makes him a

leader amongst his peers. Just a freshman, the Business Management Major is already a known and respected DJ on campus, a Bonner’s scholar, a former Disney Dreamer of the Year recipient and the founder of Spear Success, a campus organization motto dedicated to inciting change within the community. Whether it’s waiting in line to receive a scholarship or reaching out to one of the best DJ’s on campus, Spearman continues to go after what he wants.

Spearman claims his drive and fearlessness as the main contributor to his success.

“I wasn’t accepted into Bonner just off of my application.”

Spearman said. “I stopped by the Bonners Office on Admitted Students Weekend and waited two to three hours for Mr. Bentley to come back. I had an interview with him and was accepted into Bonners the same day.”

It’s not often that freshman have the confidence to advocate for themselves the way Spearman did, but clearly he reaped the benefits of his labor.

Jacory Bernard – CTems major Journalism Minor - Lafayette After speaking with Jacory Bernard, it’s obvious that his love for Morehouse is genuine, however, he wants to help change the culture of the school. The future of his beloved institution depends on it, according to the fresnab, “I had to fight for financial aid.”

Bernard said. “Nobody should have to be purged, nobody should have to leave here because of financial issues, especially when I can go to a PWI where most of their students are there on scholarships. We have the same credentials. Something’s not adding up.”

Bernard claims that he chose Morehouse for three important reasons.

“First, tt’s a place where I can receive an education but also be invested into as a young black man.

My second reason is because my idol, Martin Luther King, went here. I see myself in him be-

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cause I’m not the smartest kid, but it doesn’t take a 4.0 and a 36 on your ACT to be successful.

It takes drive, commitment and faith. And, lastly, just the opportunity there is for what I want to do.”

It’s clear that Morehouse has had a positive impact on Bernard. Being that he’s only a freshman, he has a lot more time to continue to lead and spread his messages amongst his peers.

THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

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The New Guard

THE NEW GUARD PHOTOGRAPHY AUSTYN WYCHE JAMES JONES & K.RICH WORDS JAIR HILBURN

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG By day, he’s a student that’s involved in the school’s community. While at school, he’s also making his dreams a reality and building his brand. English major Christion Robinson, also known as DJ C-Rob, has turned his passion for music and DJ’ing into a career.

After he saw Vashtie DJ during his freshman year of high school, he decided to take his $300 worth of gift cards to Guitar Center and bought some equipment. Ever since, he’s worked to get where he is now and each year he’s grown in multiple ways.

“Last year was more of finding out who I was as a person, like all of the things that I was capable of and me finding out how to obtain all of my goals and that nothing will stop me – only myself,” Robinson said. “I think this year is building on who I was. I believe that everything happens for a reason, so I think the things that are happening in my life right now are preparing me for what’s better to come and a build-up for a better point.”

Last year, he found himself DJ’ing at house parties, but now he has expanded his talents to various other events such as panels, pep rallies, school events, and much more. He even has plans to take his talents abroad by doing research in music and dance in Brazil.

“My brand is evolving,” Robinson said. “It’s crazy to see how far I came.”

However, he knows that he won’t count himself out, and he encourages others to do the same.

“Follow all your dreams,” Robinson said. “Find your potential, and don’t count yourself out.

I know for a fact I counted myself out many times.”

And look at where he is now.

MAN OF THE YEAR coming out of my shell, becoming the leader I am today, and actually finding my voice,” Reeves said.

“It has put me around men at Morehouse that are doing amazing things as well, so I was able to see not only success in what a Black man looks like in a suit but also what’s behind that suit.”

With the lessons, he learned to be an effective leader while at Morehouse, he plans to implement the same qualities as he works to spread his self-starter Club B.A.S.I.C. (Brothers and Sisters Inspiring Change) to a national level after seeing how it made an impact in his hometown.

From playing on the football field to filmmaking, Julien Turner - a Business Marketing major with a minor in Urban Studies from Columbus, Ohio - has proven that one’s hard work can pay off in the end. After he posted his biology video that was a parody of the song “XO TOUR Dacavien

Reeves,

Before coming to Morehouse, Dacavien Reeves – a Business Finance major – was growing up in Memphis, Tennessee. In the midst of his upbringing, he experienced homelessness during his junior and senior year of high school. However, he didn’t let it deter him from receiving a higher education and taking care of his own family.

“I was in several organizations while I was trying to take care of my family and my brothers and sisters and apply for college, get accepted and apply for scholarships, and it was very difficult,” Reeves said. “But I made it here, and I’m doing well.”

When he’s not studying, Reeves takes time to apply his skills in organizations such as Presidential Ambassadors, Vanguard Scholars, and C.H.I.L.L. (Counseling Humans In Life Lessons), which led him to build character from volunteering and working with others.

“My year has been driven because I was able to focus more on my academics and my goals outside of my academics, and also being very involved on campus and do some of the things that I’ve always wanted to do which led to me

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Llif3” by Lil Uzi Vert, he only had more work to do. Throughout all that he has done this year, there was only one word he could use to describe his year: “roller coaster.”

“I’d say there was a peak and some twists and turns that led to a memorable year in the end,” Turner said. “I didn’t really have time to sit down and enjoy or soak in things, so I think that would be the peak of the year and the experiences I’ve had this year - a lot of the opportunities that were being given to me; how much of an impact I actually had made; or how far I’ve been able to reach with the things I’ve been trying to do. I think that’s something I didn’t have time to soak it in … because it was just constant movement.”

Once Turner started receiving all this attention he was offered a multitude of opportunities such as being on “TRL” and “Good Morning America,” being featured in the New York Times, meeting with Apple, and so many more.

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The New Guard

“I was given a lot of opportunities to intern and shadow directors for their upcoming things,” Turner said. “They couldn’t really make any moves from the professional standpoint since I am still in school. That was really to establish relationships, so that when I do graduate I will have a job opportunity.”

Even with all of the opportunities that were happening for him, he still was determined to make sure that he succeeded both professionally and academically. With all of the people that were trying to get in contact, he eventually had to shut himself off from the world.

“There was one point where I had to shut my phone off,” Julien said. “I figured a large part of the reason why I was getting so much attention was because of the fact that I was in school and my grades were so high and I was doing all of this. I figured that if they started declining while all of this was happening I would be taking away the reason why I was getting so

much attention, and I wanted to obtain that.”

Although Turner became an overnight sensation whose life changed because of the one video, that’s not all he wants to be known for. In the fall, there will be a “fraction of an episode” of Sesame Street that he and his brother directed and wrote together.

“It was an opportunity we didn’t seek out at first, and then we realized how universal that platform would be,” Julien said. “Once we sought it out and we were given the opportunity, we still didn’t know how big it would be until we announced it. We’re trying to keep the train rolling”

Before they were directing for Sesame Street, Turner and his brother, Justen Turner, were building their brand Dreadhead Films and making their own films. Years later, they went on to make advances in their career.

“If you put any amount of hard work into it - whether it’s good things or bad things - you’ll eventually reap what you sow,” Julien

Christion Robinson

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Turner said. “These last few months have been a result of the sowing that I’ve done throughout high school, filmmaking, or in the classroom or even on the football field. Finally seeing a lot of those things panning out and coming into fruition is encouraging, but I was going to keep working anyways.”

Ever since being at Morehouse College, Keon Berry, a Sociology major from Windsor, Connecticut, has managed to make a name for himself and turn his dreams into a reality.

From being well-rounded in his academics to running his self-starter, Berry Academy, Keon continues to keep moving forward despite the obstacles that he has to overcome that others may not see.

“I think a lot of time people see the success and not the obstacles,” Berry said. “Through the many successes I’ve had, it’s been extremely progressive because ultimately they come with adversities. A lot of times the price for success is adversity because in order to get to the other side of the mountain you have to climb the mountain.”

During his freshman year, Keon created Berry Academy as a platform for social change with a focus on education for youth. It started off as a dream that he had that he couldn’t get out of his head.

“It’s gone even farther than what I’ve expected,” Berry said. “Seeing what it is now, where it’s going, and the level of support we’ve garnered from a number of people inspires us to keep going.”

Although he initially didn’t think he had time to do it, Berry realized that it was something that he was called to do.

“I think of my callings is to make a difference on a macro-level,” Keon said. “I could run from it all I want, but eventually it was going to catch me. It was something that caught me, something that played into my interest, and something that’s going to continue to grow.”

Another decision that Berry made was to become a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. which is an experience he does not regret.

“Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. means everything to me,” Berry said. “It’s definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made in my entire life. I think my process, the people I’ve encountered, and the lessons that I learned made me even better than when I came in.”

Keon was also Director of Freshmen Affairs on the Student Government Association. Even with all of these things on his plate, he still managed to make the right sacrifices.

“I’m always engulfed in what I love, so when I’m doing what I love it’s so much easier to sacrifice certain things,” Berry said.

THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

PHOTOGRAPHY AUSTYN WYCHE JAMES JONES K RICH WORDS SHALA MURRAY

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

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Cam Edge, ‘19 Hometown: Brooklyn, New York Major: Sociology Career Aspirations: Civil Rights Attorney SM: Why did you choose Morehouse?

CE: In a sense, I wouldn’t say that I chose Morehouse, but instead Morehouse chose me. I applied to Morehouse because my best friend applied to the school and we both got rejected. But two weeks before I graduated, Morehouse sent me an email about the pre-summer enrichment program. They basically said I was accepted but I’d have to go through the summer courses at the school before I can be entered.

Once I got that email, it was a no-brainer.

SM: How did NSO shape you?

CE: It was surreal. Being from Brooklyn, it’s very rare seeing a bunch of young black men in suits. So NSO was everything I could ever ask for. It was it. It was where I saw myself in a couple of years. It was real. In a sense, it was a utopia for me. I could see myself in these people in these suits. I could see myself articulating my words and speaking in front of a large, vast of people. It was everything.

SM: How has Morehouse changed you?

CE: Morehouse changed me because it made me more disciplined. Morehouse has inspired me to be there for other people. It inspired me to just listen and not be the person talking all the time.

Morehouse changed me into a person that I didn’t even see myself being.

SM: As a rising senior, what do you hope to see change at Morehouse during your last year?

Skylar Mitchell

CE: Honestly, just more growth. I just want to continue to be immersed in the culture that we have in the AUC and also contribute to changing the culture.

I know for me, the person I was when I came into the institution and the person that I’m going to be when I leave the institution is completely different.

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Brandon Manor, ‘19 Hometown: Prince George County, Maryland Major: Psychology, Pre-Med Track Career Aspirations: Addiction Psychiatrist SM: How did your NSO experience change you?

BM: It was a very integral part of my matriculation…Seeing black men in a different light, that was one of the biggest things. That’s why NSO is so important to me.

SM: As cofounder of the organization, how do you want LYTEHouse to grow?

BM: One of the most special things about LYTEHouse is that it’s just genuine. As a freshman coming into a space like this, learning how to maneuver on your own, it’s hard. And sometimes I wish that I had what I’m able to give to the freshman now….I think we’re really prepping them to come back to Morehouse or to do well on their midterms and finals. We’re prepping them to understand the importance of community engagement. Something special about LYTEHouse is the mentoring aspect of it. It’s one of the biggest things that we hone in on. A lot of people sometimes think that mentoring is like a one way street, that as a mentor I can only teach the mentee. But one of the best things about mentoring is that we understand that people have come from different walks of life and different experiences, trials and tribulations. So just as much as I can teach a mentee, a mentee can teach me as well. I think that when it comes to being a leader or an agent of change, you have to know when to sometimes sit back and listen and follow.

Devon Ross, ‘19 Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Major: Business Career Aspirations: “Still trying to figure it out” Unlimited Dreams (Pending) SM: What are your career aspirations?

DR: I’m still trying to figure that out

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The Establishment

honestly. I want to do everything I’m doing now, just on a deeper scale and continue to learn more. Continue to experience. I can’t think of any one thing I want to do. That bothers me.

SM: Why’d you choose Morehouse?

DR: To be honest with you, I’d like to say that Morehouse chose me. The mystic is real. The energy and spirit of this place is real. There’s no shocker that other people have a similar story, but I literally mean Morehouse chose me. Not even in a big-headed sense. I didn’t get an acceptance letter from Morehouse…Morehouse gave me a call one evening asking for [money] for a commitment fee. They put me on hold, transferred me to somebody, “sorry for the mishap, but you’re accepted”. Then they transferred me right back to financial aid. [laughs] So coming in here technically like on probation status really put me into a good tunnel vision, a real focus like lane, to really get in. I tried to best that I absolutely could and I did and it was rewarding.

SM: What has God done for you in your life?

during their NSO?

and religion, what’s your ultimate goal?

Coming down for NSO, it was almost that moment of truth where I knew that this was not only where I wanted to be but needed to be. This is my first time really being surrounded by other like-minded individuals of my skin color.

ND: I want to open up a wellness center because I realized how much that is important after being at Spelman and have my own fluctuations with weight, different experiences with spirituality and realizing just how much your mind, body and soul are correlated. But I would say that my biggest dream is just to be able to speak in front of millions of people and just inspire them, to motivate them to live their best lives, to essentially live in their purpose and to turn their passion into their careers.

SM: What are you looking forward to your senior year and what are you gonna miss the most being that it will be your last time?

JG: I’m excited for my senior year to leave my final impact in any way, shape or form.

But also being able to just take everything in because I know I’ll never be able to experience an environment like this…Just taking advantage of the freedom, taking advantage of the simplicity of things and also the innocence of life right now.

Nina Danley, ‘19 Hometown: Washington D.C. Major: Philosophy Career Aspirations: Motivator/Pastor

Julian Gaines, ‘19 Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina Major: Business Administration Career Aspirations: Corporate Sales

SM: Why did you choose philosophy as your major?

ND: Philosophy kind of came out of the blue specifically because I came into Spelman as a Psych major and I took one of the courses and I said ‘This isn’t for me.’ So then I kind of started praying about what it is that I feel like I should do. And I happened to go to a panel discussion over at Morehouse and Professor Illya Davis was on the panel discussion and he said that he was a professor in the philosophy department. So then after the panel discussion I looked online to see what Spelman’s Philosophy Program and I was interested.

SM: Why did you choose to be a business major?

SM: How’d you get involved with the Morehouse Chapel Assistants Program?

JG: In high school, I was really involved in some business and marketing organizations like Future Business Leaders of America and DECA. So being able to compete in different case study competitions at a pretty early age, I knew I wanted to be in business.

ND: One of my Mom’s friends essentially knew about the Morehouse Chapel Assistants Program and saw that I was interested in becoming not only a professor in Philosophy but specifically Christian Philosophy and then at some point become a pastor. So she pointed me in the direction of the program.

DR: Every single thing possible. Everything. He helped me get up these stairs to sit down and talk to you. Everything. Everything. Everything. I feel like God’s been in my life since I took my first breath on this Earth. My Mama used to read The Bible everyday when she found out she was pregnant.

SM: Can you talk about your NSO experience and why you wanted to help others

SM: In addition to going into education

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Skylar Mitchell ‘19 Hometown: Montgomery County, MD Major: Comparative Women’s Studies SM: Why did you choose Spelman?

SM: I chose Spelman to understand myself better; to study and discover in a place where the concept of whiteness doesn’t interrupt as much.

SM: How has Spelman changed you?

SM: Spelman has given me the vocabulary to articulate who I am and who I want to become without adhering to notions of what I’m supposed to be. I’m much more conscious of what I possess and that there are people who will be here to help me develop it. I’m not alone. I have sisters; I have kin, and I’m forever grateful for that.

SM: As a rising senior, what do you hope to see change at Morehouse/ Spelman during your last year?

SM: Personally, my priority is making sure my stuff is together to graduate and move on to the next phase. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be the one to make any drastic organized action during my last year here but I’m really excited to see the place that the AUC continues to becomes. I can only hope that there’ll be more interaction, more intersectionality, and less commodification of people’s lived trauma as a trend.

SM: What’s been your greatest accomplishment and why?

SM: I felt pretty good when my [New York] Times article came out last year but I would never ever say that’s my “greatest accomplishment.” I hope I’m still building up to whatever it will be.

THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

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It’s rare when one person equally embodies the characteristics of both the left and right brain. Jesse Kearse is one of the lucky few.

By now you’ve heard of GRSM (pronounced grue•some) Studios. But what you didn’t know is that in the brand’s early stages, Kearse had very little training in-field photography skills. What he lacked in skill he made up in a thirst for knowledge.

“I started really learning about the math and physics behind cameras and using my technological background—my mom teaches computer science—so that helped me,” Kearse said.

By the senior year, Kearse was pushing to set a new creative standard. The Georgia native spearheaded the visuals for one of CASA’s biggest projects in Miss Maroon & White as well as the Freshman Stroll Off.

Although accomplished, the Kinesiology major stays humble. A firm believer of the process, Kearse understands the importance of patience.

“Even though people aren’t directly giving you praises, those core people [who] have been following you from the beginning and your friends and family, doing it for those people and doing it for yourself and not worrying about having the clout or all the praises–that’s just an underdog mentality.”

When asked to define the term ‘underdog,’ Brooklen McCarty was quick to recite lyrics from Yung Pinch’s 2017 standout track “Underdogs.” “‘Underdogs never get credit/ She get to your head if you let it,’” McCarty recited, “Focus on you, f–– the drama.”

Since finding his passion for filmmaking as a freshman, the California native has taken solace in being slept on.

That same year McCarty, along with Jesse Kearse, founded the creative brand known as GRSM (pronounced grue•some) Studios.

Anyone who has founded a company will tell you that the early days are rough, to say the least. GRSM was no different. At his lowest point, McCarty was robbed of creative property.

Through it all, McCarty has remained patient. A walking/ breathing manifestation of the mantra “trust the process,” he has slowly but surely built a network of artists, cameramen and more. His hard work earned him an internship with NBC Universal in the summer of 2017, where he received his first taste of corporate life. This only reaffirmed his decision to pursue the entrepreneurial route: “When I got to NBC, it was cool. I understand how to work the hierarchy, I guess you could say, but the hierarchy isn’t for me,” McCarty said. “I very much feel like

the hierarchy needs to change and the way the hierarchy should be approached should be modified and the only way you can actually change the hierarchy is to create your own.”

After three years of honing his craft, McCarty has become a big fish in a small pond. The four letters can be found on almost any high quality graphic, video, etc….

As he looks to expand GRSM, the California native will once again have to deal with the lack of recognition. But this is nothing new. He hasn’t let it get to his head just yet and doesn’t plan to.

Confidence has not always been something that Daniel Satterwaite possessed. However, through his matriculation through Morehouse, he has gained unshakeable confidence in himself and in his role as a leader.

Satterwaite, a senior Psychology major from Norfolk, Va., is heavily involved on campus. He serves as a Student Ambassador, president of Psi Chi, the psychology honors society and is a member of the Morehouse Psychological Association. This year, he acted as the lead RA in Perdue.

While he honed his leadership skills here at Morehouse, Satterwaite’s first opportunity to emerge as a leader presented itself during his sophomore year of high school.

A trained cellist, he was involved in the Strolling Silver Strings, a traveling orchestra in his hometown, where he was selected as section leader. Through this role, he built his confidence and learned how to talk to people without being condescending.

“Morehouse has its problems – and it has its way of exiling certain folks – but I can say that it still provided me a safe space for me to grow and become more confident and really find out who I was, and to explore for myself in a way that may not be able to if I had gone to a PWI, or if I went to another HBCU,” Satterwaite said.

In finding a safe space at Morehouse, Satterwaite realized he wanted to create safe spaces for others by including and embracing them despite their backgrounds.

He will miss being able to exist in the safe spaces that Morehouse provides and seeing beautiful Black people.

He has never been in a space dominated by Black people who are doing their own thing and just existing.

After graduating in May 2018, Satterwaite plans to obtain his master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Virginia. He desires to become a classroom teacher and an education policy or program evaluator to ensure that they are benefiting students and teachers of color.

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The Titans

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

HALL OF FAME

Lewis Miles Following in the footsteps of three generations of Spelhouse graduates certainly creates the pressure to live up to your family’s expectations. However, Lewis Miles has joined the ranks of great men and women who have walked the sacred campuses of Spelman and Morehouse and has shaped his own path.

Miles, a senior Sociology major from Thomasville, N.C., comes from a long line of Spelhouse lineage. His great uncle – who graduated from Morehouse in 1939 – joined the Army after gaining his bachelor’s degree. He served for seven years and then went to New York University to obtain his master’s degree. Afterwards, he came back to Atlanta to teach for 30 years at what was then a segregated school but eventually became Booker T. Washington High School.

His cousin Ernestine graduated from Spelman in 1957, served as president of Spelman’s alumnae chapter and received the Blue Spirit Award in 2017. These two individuals influenced Miles’ father to enroll at Morehouse when he was considering enlisting in the military.

His father, who was a Political Science major, graduated at the top of his department in 1981.

Miles will follow in his father’s footsteps and will also graduate as the highest-ranking scholar in his department this year. Although he and his father have accomplished some of the same goals, Miles has also begun to create his own legacy.

During his time at Morehouse, Miles has served as lead RA in Graves Hall, Presidential Ambassador, an Oprah Winfrey International Fellowship participant – which allowed him to travel to South Africa and Zimbabwe free of charge – and a UNCF Mellon Mays Undergraduate fellow. He will graduate Phi Beta Kappa with summa cum laude honors.

He has also traveled abroad to Brazil and Ghana.

Pursuing his own path has not always been clear to Miles, however. When he enrolled at More-

Lewis Miles house, he anticipated becoming a litigator and the next civil rights attorney to enact anti-discrimination laws. He took Political Science courses but was disinterested. He became an undeclared major at the end of first semester freshman year to take time to figure out what he was truly interested in.

The next semester, he took Dr. Derrick Bryan’s Intro to Sociology course. Through the course content and Bryan’s unique pedagogy, which was comical, interesting and engaging, Miles decided to declare his major in Sociology and is confident he made the right decision.

Miles cites gaining admission into several competitive graduate school programs as his biggest accomplishment this academic year. In the fall, he will attend the University of Michigan, fully funded, to pursue his Ph.D. in Sociology.

Miles aspires to be a vessel of

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knowledge who “renders sustainable solutions for everyday problems that affect the most disadvantaged.” He imagines that he will achieve this goal by possibly becoming a college professor or a consultant. Ultimately, however, he would like to be happy and impactful.

Miles believes that his purpose is to “provide people with the tools to determine their positionality in that moment and in the future.”

He considers education to be absolutely intrinsic to his being and pursuing knowledge is the best way for people to shape their destiny.

Alexander Harris, Jr. Alexander Harris Jr. enrolled at Morehouse unsure of what he wanted to do. He experiences not believing in himself more times than he feels people believe in him. While he receives affirmation from others, there is a men-

Hall of Fame

Best Uchehara

WORDS AYRON LEWALLEN C. ISAIAH SMALLS PHOTOGRAPHY MACEO DINGLE JAMES JONES

tal barrier that he has struggled to overcome.

“Even after I accomplish one thing, it’s like, ‘You didn’t do enough’ or ‘You haven’t done enough. Will you do enough?’ ” Harris said. “That mental barrier is stronger than what any man or woman can stand in front of you and say, but at least you have the ability to discern whether or not it’s true. When you have the mental barrier, you’re telling yourself that it’s true, and you can’t get over that until you see that it’s not true for yourself.”

Harris, a senior Psychology major from Severn, Maryland, has accomplished many things since beginning his matriculation at Morehouse. He delivered his first spoken word poem during college matriculation and started participating in open mic nights, which led to being more involved in public speaking. He was a pillar for “Welcome to the House” during New Student Orientation

for two consecutive years and served as “A Candle in the Dark” presenter when he presented Jon Platt, C.E.O. and Chairman of Warner Chappell Music.

He served as the Next Great American Poet president for two years in a row and raised roughly $6,000 for students at Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta. Harris has also conducted workshops at Dunbar Elementary and Washington High to raise literacy rates. He has also been awarded a grant and plans to do a community service project.

During his time at Morehouse, Harris traveled to Cuba and conducted research on how sex work contributes to Cuba’s economy since the economy is heavily supported by tourism. He has also traveled abroad to Belgium through the Nation Village program within the United States Embassy, where he worked as a contractor. He developed a cultural exchange program with Muslim students.

Harris has been admitted to Columbia, Georgetown and Northwestern universities for graduate school programs to study education and technology. This year, he was recognized as the top-ranking scholar in the Psychology department and became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Rho chapter.

Although he is aware that the profession does not pay well, Harris aspires to become an educator.

He is confident that the work will be beneficial and impactful to youth whether he is compensated well or not. He would also like to become involved in education policy work. He is certain that he has no desire to get involved in politics, however, he will be politically active in some manner.

Harris is confident that being that candle in the dark is a real mindset and would like to create positive change for those who will come after him. With the work that he would like to do in education policy, he knows that it is important to educate himself on the effects of the system and how those forces trickle down to the classroom.

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Best Uchehara When Best Uchehara moved with his family from Nigeria to the United States in 2003, he remembers stuttering, being placed in remedial classes and being scared to talk to others.

There was a high possibility that he was not going to graduate from the fifth grade; however, he was promoted to middle school, where he continued to struggle.

It was not until he reached high school that he began to excel academically.

To become more confident socially and academically, Uchehara began standing in front of a mirror every night practicing speeches to assist him in overcoming his speech impediment. During this time, former President Barack Obama was running for office, and Uchehara was fascinated with how well Obama spoke.

As someone who has been counted out before, Uchehara knows what it feels like to be the underdog and empathizes with others who feel as though they are the underdog. He believes he has done well academically since first immigrating and has embraced the challenges he faced. He has taken opportunities to mentor and tutor students in biology or other majors because he loves the feeling of helping someone understand the course content.

Biology is extremely difficult and Uchehara knows that students have to lean on each other to do well.

“I think Black boys in general aren’t supposed to make it,” Uchehara said. “That’s why debate is so important to me. We step in and we’re the only Black guys in the room, but we walk in knowing that we’re capable.”

Uchehara, a senior Biology major from Imo State, Nigeria, won a national award with Keith Mattier their sophomore year. He was also a quarterfinalist in a tournament this academic year. Through his involvement with the debate team, he has traveled to Greece, Paris, Mexico and Jamaica. Being a member of the debate team has given him the opportunity to travel with his brother and friends

THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

Roy McReynolds III

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Hall of Fame

John Cooper

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Devon Smith

THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

Alexander Harris, Jr.

while competing – and winning – against Ivy League teams. He is confident that those who said he could never deliver a speech growing up would be surprised to know that he is a member of an award-winning debate team.

Uchehara also serves as a Student Ambassador, Presidential Ambassador, and as a member of the Health Careers Society.

During his sophomore, Uchehara was awarded a fellowship through the Dalai Lama Fellows, an international program that funds non-profit organizations. He was one of 20 students worldwide to be awarded a fellowship.

With the funding he received, he started a non-profit, Insight Initiative, a mentorship program for elementary school students. Currently, Uchehara and his team are developing a robust curriculum that will consist of activities that assist youth in navigating struggles they face, such as self-image, self-love, bullying and discrimination.

His greatest accomplishment in establishing his own non-profit is that it can l function without him being hands-on. When Uchehara pursues his graduate school education this fall, his goal is to take the curriculum with him and implement a branch of the initiative there.

Uchehara cites that his passion for service stems from his mother, who was a nurse in the community, and father, who was a local politician, before they left Nigeria. His parents instilled in him that serving is the greatest contribution he could make to society.

With acceptances to medical schools such as the University of Michigan, University of Florida, Medical College of Georgia, Meharry Medical School and Georgetown, Uchehara aspires to work in minority communities to combat health disparities. He is heavily interested in obtaining a master’s in business administration and practicing cardiology. He will attend Duke Medical School in the fall.

Roy McReynolds III Roy McReynolds III is a senior Biology major with a minor in Neuroscience from Atlanta, Georgia. He aspires to become a researcher and tenured professor at either a liberal arts institution or Tier 1 research institution. After graduating in May, he will enroll in the Neuroscience Ph.D. program at the University of California-Los Angeles to pursue his interest in specializing in neurodegenerative diseases, which are the effects of a deteriorating nervous system.

Over the summer, McReynolds will participate in the Summer in Neuroscience Excellence and Success, a three-week program hosted at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. He will also participate in the Competitive Edge Summer Enrichment program at UCLA. While McReynolds matriculated through Morehouse, he served as sophomore and senior liaison in the honors program and participated in the RISE and MARCs research programs. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and was a New Student Orientation leader. He was also recognized as both a Hopps and an ARCS Foundation Scholar.

To pursue his passion for research, McReynolds examined various therapeutic polymers in Dr. Juana Mendenhall’s laboratory. He also conducted research in Dr. Valerie Haftel’s laboratory studying nanoparticles and diabetic neuropathy.

McReynolds’ love for neuroscience stems from a summer opportunity

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Hall of Fame

that he received with the assistance of Dr. Haftel. He participated in a summer program at University of Washington-Seattle through the Center for Sensory Motor Neuro Engineering. This program was his first exposure to neuroscience and he has been passionate about it since then.

Although he desires to work in the neurology field, McReynolds also has a passion for working in computer science. He constructed his own computer during his fall semester of junior year. During his summer at the Center for Sensory Motor Neuro Engineering, he was exposed to both neuroscience and the hardware of computers.

“I thought, ‘Well, I could actually build my own computer, and it seemed to be more of an attainable goal after that summer experience,” McReynolds said. “I used some of my money to do it.”

McReynolds plans to take the computer he constructed with him to California. He imagines that his interest in computer construction and software could become a hobby for him in his spare time.

“I wouldn’t mind doing [building computers] for people in the future,” McReynolds said. “There wasn’t really a market for people building desktops in college – at least not at Morehouse, as far as I could tell. So, me and my other friend – I helped him build his – but no one else really seemed to have desktop computers.”

While Smith is pursuing a career path in corporate America, he is passionate about infrastructure development and is invested in determining methods to improve overall infrastructure in Africa. Long term, he would like to create a company that focuses on infrastructure development whether its function is to improve cellular capabilities or increase roadway accessibility within developing northern Africa.

Given his business finance background and travel to several African countries such as Ethiopia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Togo and Eritrea, he has seen the effects of inefficient infrastructure and would like to impact the lives of north African nations through his professional and life experiences.

“This is something that I really looked into and explored over the past few years just based on my travel throughout Africa and seeing impoverished nations as a whole,” Smith said. “So, I think that it’s something that I’m really interested in. It’s really cool to me to understand how foreign direct investment really effects developing countries and nations, especially those that are still third world countries to this day.”

Devon Smith When Devon Smith enrolled at Morehouse, his goal was to perform well academically and to be involved in as many organizations as possible. Although he believes he was not the best student in high school, maintaining academic excellence was of the utmost importance to him as he began matriculating through the College.

“I was restricted in terms of some of the things I wanted to do, whether it be scholarships perspective or a college search perspective. So, I really wanted to focus on academic excellence when I got to Morehouse because I no longer wanted to be put in a bind in any type of way with regards to my GPA or my grades. When I came here, I hit the ground running and I was able to maintain my academic excellence throughout my time at the college all because of a personal experience I had in high school and wanting to turn that around forever.”

Smith will be the first to admit that during high school he was more focused on sports, extracurricular activities, and being social. He says that he did not understand the importance of a GPA until it was time for him to apply to college and realized that many institutions that he was looking to apply to do not generally accept students with his academic record. However, while in college, he was able to find balance in both his academics and his social life.

Smith, a senior Business Finance major and Spanish minor from Philadelphia, became a Student Ambassador, Presidential Ambassador and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Rho chapter, where he served as chapter president this academic year. He was a member of Student Government Association from freshman to junior year.

Upon graduating in May, Smith will begin working at The Blackstone Group, LP in New York City in the private equity department. He also plans to enroll in a two-year program.

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

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Hall of Fame

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

WAYFARERS

NASHAWN CHERRY -028-

Wayfarers

PHOTOGRAPHY AUSTYN WYCHE JAMES JONES WORDS C. ISAIAH SMALLS II

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

The Wayfarers Hamilton Jenkins Senior Business-Accounting Atlanta, GA Where have you gone in the past year?

United Arab Emirates, England, Germany and Cuba.

Nashawn Cherry Junior Computer Science Orlando, FL Where have you gone in the past year?

This past year I had the opportunity to travel to Senegal, Italy, China, Los Angeles.

What was your favorite place and why?

My favorite place was Cuba. Although we didn’t have the most luxurious accommodations, the country itself had the most natural beauty. I was able to go to a place that few Americans have gone since the embargo [in order to] further my understanding of the country. I got the opportunity to meet tons of Cubans and get an understanding of how they live. Cubans are probably some of the nicest people I have meet from the countries I have traveled to. I would love to go back [and] experience more of the country.

What was your favorite place and why?

My favorite place was definitely Senegal. It felt good to be within a country that the majority of people looked like me and were so open and welcoming.

Getting the opportunity to experience things such as Goreé Island and the Door of No Return, one of the last places slaves were quartered before being sent to the Americas. It was also a profound experience learning about the economy of Senegal and French Neo-Colonialism that still plagues the country to this day.

What was your most memorable experience and why?

It would have to be when I was at La Periquera, an old house of a Spanish Don in Holguin, Cuba. I was walking around the property, admiring the artwork and was stopped by a women. We talked a little bit and then she brought me into a back room. I didn’t know why until she gave me this old coin with the shield of the city on it. I still don’t know why she picked me to have this coin but this kind of gesture is something I will always remember. To this day I keep the coin on my nightstand and remember the interaction everyday.

What did you learn (either about yourself, the country, etc...)?

Every country I learn something new about myself. In general, I learned about my love of experiencing new cultures. By going to Dubai I also found [a] love for Middle Eastern culture. In the future, I want to live in that area for a period of time and continue learning about the area as well as the impact the USA has had on it. Like most people, traveling gave me a new perspective on life and a respect for how different cultures live.

What was your most memorable experience and why?

My most memorable experience may have been traveling to four different cities within Italy within the span of one week. I traveled to Caserta, Naples, Rome, Florence. There, I experienced some of the world renowned art from Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli as well as major castles and the amazing food Italy has to offer.

What did you learn (either about yourself, the country, etc...)?

I learned a ton about different cultures, religions, governments and economies within the three continents. I learned more about the effects of colonialism and how it continues to affect countries to this day. I gained a fresh perspective of many types of people and a greater appreciation for our differences. It was a phenomenal experience and I would urge any college student to find time to study abroad, especially on someone else’s dime.

Francis Rozier Senior Urban Studies Atlanta, GA Where have you gone in the past year?

Cuba, Dominican Republic, United

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Arab Emirates and Ghana.

What was your favorite place and why?

Dubai was my favorite place because it was a dream come true. I always watched documentaries about infrastructure being built in Dubai, how far the country has come, and just the history behind its growth. When I was granted the opportunity to go, it was just surreal.

What was your most memorable experience and why?

My most memorable experience was going to Elma slave castle and spending four days with a host family in Ghana.

It was enriching to see Africa. It was humbling to see how powerful our people are and how blessed I was to have been able to travel to Africa. The ability to tour the slave castle and not only put myself in the shoes of my ancestors but understand the truth behind their captivity was just powerful.

What did you learn (either about yourself, the country, etc...)?

I learned how big the world is. I gained a new perspective on life as well as learned about new cultures, being culturally competent and how sometimes I let fear rob me of good opportunities.

Wayfarers

Hamilton

Jenkins

Francis

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Rozier

THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

Justin Lee (Retro Exchange)

Bryce Thompson (TRADEHOUSE) Senior Dual-degree engineering major Missouri City, Tx

Ian Jackson (Ordinary Odds)

with Allen Bradley Rockwell Automation , he was sitting at his desk when he received a call from his older brother about this life-changing opportunity.

“My older brother [Branden] called me and told me he was working bi-weekly, so the weeks he wasn’t working he was laying in his bead making more money from his phone during his off-week than he did at his desk from trading in the Forex (foreign exchange) market,” Thompson said.

As soon as his brother told him the global market, he was ready to do the same.

Branden sent him the link to the platform and told him to introduce the currency trading platform to the people

around [him]. Immediately, Thompson introduced it to three of his closest friends; and by the time he got back to Atlanta, there were over 20 people trading together.

Thompson also needed a name for this new investment group that he was planning to grow, so he came up with the name “Tradehouse.”

“I thought Tradehouse was the best name,” Thompson said. “It was clean, sleek and expansive.”

Once the investment group became Tradehouse, slowly but surely the group began and continued to grow. Since October, Tradehouse Investment Group has gone from 56 members to now over 600 members, which is incredible. Thompson is helping

others reach financial freedom, and he doesn’t plan on working a job anytime soon.

“I don’t see myself ever working a 9-5 just based off of the money I’ve been able to generate before I even graduate,” Thompson said.

“I haven’t asked my mom for money in about a year now, and I haven’t worked a job either.”

Not only has he been able to change the lives of others, but he’s also been able to help his family financially as well. Thompson had planned to work with Shells Refinery sector team in Houston post-graduation, and they were offering to cover him financially for the summer as well. He decided to turn the opportunity down because he

THE ENTRE If there could be anyone compared to the AUC version of the “Wolf on Wall Street,” then it would be Bryce Thompson, a senior Dual-Degree Applied Physics and Engineering major from Missouri City, Texas. Thompson has brought an opportunity to the AUC that has influenced hundreds of lives drastically, giving college students the opportunity to be financially free before they even walk across the stage.

About eight months ago while Thompson was working an internship in Cleveland

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The Entrepreneurs

Bryce Thompson (TRADEHOUSE)

knew he could make more by himself than they were offering him.

“I’m generating my own income,” Thompson said. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see this coming, though. Even when there were only five people in the investment group, we treated it like it was 300 plus.”

Thompson has pioneered Tradehouse Investment Group; and in less than a year, it’s a name that most people in the AUC know about. He plans to always have a Tradehouse presence in the AUC, even after he graduates. In five years, he expects the investment group to have around 5,000 to 7,000 people involved. The growth the group has made is already stagger-

ing, and it will only continue to grow.

Ian Jackson (Ordinary Odds) Junior Finance Major Nashville, Tn

in music, fashion or this hiphop culture that the world lives in. Through his influences, OO came to life, and Jackson built the brand’s platform around those influences. Jackson believes that Ordinary Odds has impacted his life pretty tremendously.

“It feels good seeing others launch businesses or ideas that they hadn’t thought of--inspiring people to open up--and that’s the purpose of OO--to express their creativity,” Jackson said. “Any time I see that, I get excited.”

The brand is more than just clothing as well. Jackson also started OO Radio, which is a Soundcloud page where he posts different playlists with the latest and hottest music out. Students in the AUC

tune in to the radio sessions and are always wearing gear around campus, and that’s one reason why Jackson sees his brand remaining relevant in the AUC. “I see OO always existing in the AUC because that’s where it got started, especially over the next few years as it starts to manifest and grow. We’ll have something to take pride in--celebrities and other popular artists--seeing these guys wear something that the AUC really had a hand in first.”

Realizing the importance of where it started, Jackson realized that its origins should be a contributing factor to keeping OO in the AUC. There have been multiple drops since Jackson started

EPRENEURS When many people would fold during a tough situation, Ian Jackson, a junior Finance major, turned his situation into what is now one of the most notable brands in the AUC and across the Atlanta area. In 2015, Jackson had to take a leave of absence from the College for a semester for personal reasons, and this is when the birth of his clothing brand Ordinary Odds (OO) was born.

The Nashville native knew he wanted to do something

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

OO, and people consistently show their support. On campus, students wear either the OO hat or hoodie. His personal favorite is the storm blue hoodie that recently dropped and has 3m reflective on the back and the double O embroidery on the front.

“It’s been a crowd favorite and sold out in a day and a half,” Jackson said.

Ordinary Odds isn’t the only entrepreneurial endeavor that Jackson has taken part in either. Jackson was one of those few friends that Bryce Thompson initially told about Tradehouse.

“Tradehouse has expanded my network, and in some cases, has even helped me fund Ordinary Odds. Initially, I thought I may have to go the Wall Street or corporate route in order to fund OO; but thanks to Tradehouse, I am able to do what I want to do now.”

Jackson turned a setback into a comeback and didn’t let anything stop him, and now he has multiple streams of income and he does not work for anyone but himself.

let’s make a business out of this.” Lee said.

Thus “Retro Exchange,” a vintage apparel shop, was born in 2015.

But that’s not Lee’s only project. He has a technology repair company where he fixes iPhone screens and other electronic devices. Recently, the New Orleans native has delved into real estate. Partnering with his older brother and cousin, Lee now co-owns a local recording studio as well as Rain, a nightclub around the corner from campus. Additionally, he has already made huge strides in his hometown community: “I bought two duplexes in New Orleans, Louisiana and put them on Section 8 for people in the area who don’t really have money.”

In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Lee plans on working for Cox Media as a project management consultant. Lee’s mogul aspirations are apparent. When asked why he had engaged in , his response was brief yet powerful: “A Billionaire has 7 sources,” Lee said.

Justin Lee (Retro Exchange) Senior Marketing Major Sales Minor New Orleans, La

Shawn Pierre (Humble&F aithful) Senior

Making his second appearance in the Entrepreneur section is Justin Lee, a senior marketing major with a sales minor who not only expanded on what he started but added a few more entrepreneurial endeavors to his resume.

Lee’s entrepreneurial roots run deep.

As a third grader, he realized the school-provided lunches were too plain.

After a trip to Sam’s Club with his grandmother, he began selling snacks, making upwards of $100 a day.

As a freshman at Morehouse, the New Orleans native began dating the younger sister of NBA player DJ Augustin who has a Jordan Brand sponsorship. Lee would receive around six or seven pairs of shoes for Christmas. Kyle Durham, Lee’s roommate at the time, realized the exclusivity of the shoes and told him they need to do something.

“I always was a 90’s dude—windbreakers, sweats, starter jackets—so we said

It came to him in a dream.

Shawn Pierre remembers that night vividly.

“The word HUMBLE had to be in it because that’s a character trait [I’ve] always had and needed another word to add on,” recalled Pierre when it came time to pick a brand name. “After countless hours of brainstorming I had to rest my mind by going to bed; I woke up in the middle of the night and the phrase of ‘Humble & Faithful’ was extremely vivid in my mind.”

Two days later, Pierre produced 22 shirts in four different colorways.

The was rest history.

Nowadays, Humble & Faithful is one of the campus’s most recognized clothing brand. With close to 3,000 followers on Instagram, Pierre has come a long way from his early promotionary struggles.

“Some of the earliest challenges I faced was not having a strong team

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to help me push the brand out,” Pierre said, “however, over time trustworthy relationships were made to keep the brand moving forward.”

And that it did. By targeting students through a variety of AUC themed apparel, Pierre was able to grow Humble into something more:

“It’s a lifestyle,” Pierre said.

“Day in and day out, [you’re] reminded through social media and different marketing techniques around campus.”

Having just graduated, Pierre sees only growth in Humble’s future.

Wanting the brand to dominate both domestically and internationally, however, is only one part of his elaborate plan.

“For the most part, [I want to] create communal events to give back and bring people of different cultures together,” Pierre said.

The Entrepreneurs

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

READ IT ONLINE FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AT ISSUU.COM/THEMAROONTIGER AND @THEMAROONTIGER

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The Entrepreneurs

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THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

Jill Cartwright

MAN OF THE YEAR

Chloe Blackmon, Janna Perry, Baheejah Crumbley, Eboni Ellis, Nina M

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Women of the Year

na Myers, Imani Ward

Melaine King

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things and a lot of experiences that gave me a story to tell on the other side and that I’ve experienced a lot of grace and favor and mercy this year.”

During the times when she felt as though she fell short, she’s always had her friends, sisters, and family in her corner cheering her on.

“Even when I didn’t see it, my friends, my sisters, my family supported me and let me know that it was going to happen regardless,” Janna said. “My community kept me going when I was so ready to be done with everything. They carried my burdens for me if I couldn’t hold them up myself.”

After working hard during her time at Spelman as Ms. Spelman, being a Lead Chapel Assistant at Sister’s Chapel, and being involved in the Spelman College Social Justice Program, Perry has been able to find out what her career aspirations are.

“I want to go to law school.

I don’t necessarily want to practice law, but I do want to have a judicial and legal background,” Perry said. “I’m very interested in policy that impacts children that have been impacted by poverty in the Black community, definitely family structures and programming for children.”

Coming from a predominantly white institution in NJ, Melanie King has viewed Spelman as “the perfect change” that she needed to make in her life that impacted her in more ways than one. Since attending the institution, King has found that she was opened to a plethora of experiences.

“I experienced sisterhood, a lot of firsts, a lot of self-growth, and I was able to use my talents and my skills to really make an impact on the community within schools and the public education system,” Melanie said. “Spelman was the perfect place for me in terms of being a woman who wanted to change the world in the future.”

King has been working to make change by being involved in organizations such as the Spelman College Honors Program which

-040she is the president of, a Social Justice Program Fellow, and Student Director of Mimi’s Pantry. While fulfilling her duties in these positions, she manages to do work in the surrounding communities.

“I’m a Lowry Institute Change Agent, and through this program I help with workshops and implementing informationals about HIV and AIDS awareness, promotion of HBCU’s, and I also teach at Brown Middle School on a weekly basis in which I work to implement nonviolence and conflict resolution curriculum for those students,” King said.

“I’m also a Sight Leader for both Brown Middle School and Tuskegee Global Airman Academy, and through this all the student change agents or student teachers that are at these two schools, I’m the supervisor of them all so I not only help to create and implement the curriculum, but I also am the point leader for the teachers in these schools.”

Through the work Melanie’s done with the Blue Institute and Stacey Abrams, she has served as voice for the people and encouraged others to be involved.

“There’s a large paucity of people of color within political campaigns they’re usually white men working for white men who are those elected officials, so we’re trying to change the demographic of what people on political campaign staffs look like in order to better implement these changes within communities of color because if you have white staff and a white elected official working in Black or Brown communities there’s nothings that’s going to change there,” Melanie said.

After graduation, King plans to attend Brown University fully funded to pursue at Master’s in Public Affairs and a PhD in Africana Studies to work in public policy and also be a researcher and professor.

“Storytelling in the Black community is something special and it helps us express our ideas, express our pains, and whatever we’re going through in a variety of different mediums,” Melanie said. “I realized the power

of words – more specifically the power of teaching whether that in the form of words, mathematics, or linguistics or anything of that nature – really, really can make an influential change in the power dynamic between students who may come from lower income communities or who may just not have that passion for learning.

Children really are our future, and I feel that the education system right now is kind of failing us, but I feel as though us as college students do have the potential to use what resources we have and the little bit of resources we have as college students to go back to these communities and teach students what they need order to succeed.”

Nina Myers is a Chemistry major that took an unconventional route to reach her goal and receive the job that she’s worked diligently for.

After working hard for three years at Spelman, she realized that her last year would be the year where everything came into fruition and accomplished all that she wanted to accomplish. She found out in order to achieve her goals she would have to find balance, and she decided there was one way to do it.

“I decided to be really, really good at the things that I want to be good at,” Myers said. “Since I was really little school was the thing that I was good at instinctively and coming here I did not stop doing that.”

Although she chose to major in Chemistry, Nina didn’t lose sight of reaching her goal of entering the world of finance despite receiving pushback.

“My career was really important to me because I’m a Chemistry major, but I’m going into finance after graduation,” Nina said.

“Those things are so separate, and I’ve had to battle with the institution about what it means to be a woman in business and a woman in finance and really trying to get people to embrace that in themselves because we don’t really have a place on this campus for that. For me, that’s been really important – always speak-

ing truth to that and providing people with advice and a space to really be comfortable with their pursuit of business and their pursuit of that as a career regardless of what their major is.

I chose a major that I wasn’t going to hate, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t do what I wanted to do in my career. I always knew as a career and as an adult regardless of what my degree was I was going to be a business woman and I was going to be an entrepreneur.”

After graduation, Myers will enter to world of Wall Street. Studying Chemistry has allowed her the opportunity to “analyze data and report it in a way that makes sense to other people.” She hopes that by the time that she leaves that she is prepared to work for Wall Street and inspired others to be willing to go against the grain and take the road less traveled to reach their goals.

“As a Black woman who trying to go into finance and Wall Street which is a very White-male-dominated field, I spent a decent amount of time with people who went to Morehouse because those were the people who were in the same programs as me,” Nina said. “We were going to the same conferences or talking about the same things that I wanted to talk about, and I really wanted to be able to tap into that community at Spelman and to see all the opportunities that I was able to get just from walking across the street, I was able to start launching my career from freshman year. I ended being the guinea pig for a lot of things and being able to share that knowledge and having people contact me out of nowhere.

I didn’t realize what I was doing in terms of trying to follow my own path was impacting people.”

THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

Although she originally did not attend Spelman College, Baheejah Crumbley has managed to create a name for herself in the Atlanta University Center (AUC).

Originally, she attended Monclair State University, but after seeing her friend Ahmad Dent post his accomplishments that came from attending the Morhouse, Crumbley decided to create those moments for herself by attending.

While at Spelman, Crumbley has served as the President of the Economics Club, Vice-President of the Community Foundation for Financial Literacy, a mentor in Spelman Protégés, a mentor in the Big Sister, Little Sister Economics Club Program, and an unofficial mentor to some girls on campus.

“I keep meeting alum who I wish I’d known earlier who I wished could’ve held my hand as I’m holding other girls’ hand,” Baheejah said. “Especially from the Econ Club, I started that Big Sister, Little Sister mentorship program because there’s a gap in the knowledge between the upperclassmen and the underclassmen, so I’m really trying to bridge that gap. When I reflect which I do quarterly, I realize that all I want to do is help my younger Spelman sisters, and it’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

From all the lessons she’s learned from her mentors, Baheejah has been able to accomplish things such as being accepted into programs such as the Black Rock Scholarship program, JP Morgan Launching Leaders Program, and Suntrust Diversity Summit. Even though she has had many successes, she has learned how to “fail successfully” and what do after doing so.

“You go out and you try different things. You either get it or you don’t, but you always learn from it. You learn how to do better.”

Crumbley said.

From applying that philosophy, Crumbley was hired to work for JP Morgan to be a Corporate Client Banker after attending the Executive Leadership Council’s symposium and gala. JP Morgan was at the event to interview some students, but Baheejah wasn’t on

-041the list. However, she didn’t let that stop her.

“I knew one of the people who worked there and I told him I wanted to interview.” Baheejah said. “He told me to just go down there and ask to be interviewed.

That was really were preparation met opportunity.”

Throughout her time at Spelman, Chloe Blackmon has studied Biology with the hopes to go into dentistry afterwards. While at Spelman she has been able to come into herself through the school and other things.

“Spelman for me has been an awakening,” Blackmon said. “It forces you to learn about the environments that you thrive in, the kind of people that you need to surround yourself with, and the spaces that you do best with, and I think that’s what’s been the most beneficial. Coming into Spelman I had a desire to find something within myself.

“I wanted to get things from Spelman, but I also wanted Spelman to help me find things within myself.”

Ever since, she started taking yoga classes during her freshman year at Spelmana, Blackmon has been able to “tap into [her] power” and take time for herself, but above all it has given her an outlet to overcome challenges that may be in her way.

“I think probably towards the beginning of my Spelman experience I felt something called imposter syndrome – not feeling worthy, not feeling like I deserved to be here, kind of feeling like I was in a race and got left behind,” Chloe said. “I feel like a lot of people feel that way. One way I was able to overcome that was through my yoga practice, constantly reminding myself that I am strong, constantly reminding myself that I’m worthy and just constantly going inward and stepping into my power.”

By overcoming these obstacles, Chloe has been able to make accomplishments that have benefitted her holistically such as being interning at Howard’s dental school, being the president of the Student Health Associates of

Peer Educators at Spelman, being at lead volunteer for Red Clay Yoga, working at the Wellness Center, being a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated ETA Kappa Chapter, and so much more.

As a career, Blackmon aspires to be dentist. Her interest originated from when she got braces during middle school and was fascinated with how they work, but the love for it became deeper.

“I want to be a dentist because I really love personal connections,” Chloe said. “Health has always been something that I’m immersed in, but I really love that dentistry gives you the opportunity to really connect with your patients. After graduation, I most likely will be going to Georgetown University because they have a master’s in Biophysics program, and it is focused in complementary and alternative medicine.”

Whether it be playing instruments from a young age, being involved in her schools’ arts programs, or listening the music her parents would play, Eboni Ellis has been involved in music. Coming out of Spelman she has more than a creator. She has paved the way and created a space for those that follow the same musical path as her.

However, music wasn’t initially her pursuit until she got Spelman.

“It didn’t really click that I wanted to work in music until I got to Spelman, and I just saw how I was being pushed to do things that were straightforward and cut and clean,” Ellis said. “And I didn’t want to do that.”

By going against the grain, she was led to create the Spelman College Women in Hip-Hop Collective. After working for a record label, Ellis found that people were looking for people from “HBCU’s and urban communities” to work in the music industry. While this organization was the legacy that she wanted to leave behind at Spelman, it wasn’t about her.

“It’s just about making sure that other Spelman students and other AUC [Atlanta University

Center] students in general have the support that other major and other fields do,” Eboni said. “My goal was to make sure that people know there are students that want to work, are ready to work, and that can work. None of it is even about me, I’m always thinking about other people and putting people in the position to win by their terms.”

Being a servant leader is something that Ellis isn’t a stranger to because aside from assisting students in the AUC she has also dedicated her time to working with the community.

“I’m on staff at Hip-Hop Gives Back,” Ellis said. “My favorite activity every Black History Month there’s a little run around the historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood, so it’s like a Black History Month tour. Through Women in Hip-Hop Collective, community service is a big component, so right now we go to Kipp Collegiate Academy High School and we mentor students in their sound production class.

“Recently I just threw a conference at Spelman for women in film and technology, and we invited a lot of high school students to open their eyes between the two.”

After working with the president of Spelman College, the D.C. Jazz Festival, Twelve Studios, and Zaytoven, Eboni plans to take her skills to work with Universal Studios.

The love that Janna Perry had for her school encouraged her to make the institution better than what it was and give people a sense of belonging by running for Ms. Spelman with her platform being L.A.W. (Loving, Affirming, Winning) to “put some positive energy and some light” into her Spelman sisters and Morehouse Brothers. Along that journey, she was met with diversity, but there is only way that she could describe the year she’s had trying to fulfill that dream.

“If I could describe my year in one word, I would say it was a testimony,” Janna said. “I would call it a testimony because I definitely went through a lot of

Women of the Year

THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG

MAN OF THE YEAR

W

-Junior nominated WELS scholar -Finalist as a Rhodes Scholar -042-

Woman of the Year

WOMAN OF THE YEAR

KIMYA LODER WORDS: Ayron Lewallen PHOTOGRAPHY: James Jones

When one thinks of an underdog, Kimya Loder may not the first person who comes to mind. She says that she has experienced what it feels like to be an underdog firsthand. She remembers her biggest challenge always being overcoming imposter syndrome, which she describes as not feeling like she has done enough or feeling like she did not deserve to be in certain spaces. She believes that the AUC is a place where people places others on a pedestal for the smallest things—and sometimes the biggest things. However, those on the outside do not see the insecurities that one may face.

“Having impostor syndrome sometimes makes me feel like the underdog, but I just have to consistently remind myself every day—like everybody else—that I am enough and that I have earned this and that I have to continue to work hard and push myself.”

She describes being an underdog as the constant urge one feels of never being where he or she wants to be, never knowing enough, never being good enough, and not having enough for a particular moment or situation that one is placed in. Now that she is preparing for graduate school, she is constantly asking herself how can she read more and how can she prepare herself so she does not fall into that space “looking crazy.”

“The reality is that I won’t look crazy because they wouldn’t have

accepted me if they didn’t think I was prepared to go in. On the flip side, I’ve have had to remind myself that there’s no such thing as being good enough in the sense of the future, but I have to be content with where I am now.”

Loder is a senior Sociology and International Studies double major from Birmingham, Ala., a city that she says was integral to cultivating her love for service. She remembers feeling surrounded by the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement such as the children’s marches and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. She also comes from a family that is active in the community as well within the city council and neighborhood boards.

Loder is heavily involved in her community. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is a Bonner Scholar and joined SGA her senior year as co-director of leadership and civic engagement where she took her passion for service and civic engagement and created campus-wide efforts to civically engaged in the West End community.

During her freshman year, she also began developing an organization called Children’s Village Market, a program dedicated to child nutrition and advocacy in the West End community. This student-led program provides snack bags for student with dietary supplements when they were not receiving two meals per

day from their school.

Passionate about her studies, Loder managed to maintain a strong GPA and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa her junior year.

She will graduate in the top 10 of her class with summa cum laude honors. Loder was accepted into a total of eight Ph.D. programs including Harvard, Northwestern, Brown and Princeton Universities.

As a UNCF Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, Loder discovered her passion for research.

She has conducted research at Emory through Mellon Mays program. Through this program, she studied abroad for a semester in Tunisia during her junior year, which she attributes to playing a pivotal role in her development at Spelman. While abroad, she gathered data that she utilized to seek admission to graduate school—an accomplishment that she is most proud of.

Her research in Tunisia was a culmination of work done over four years. She initially wanted to study youth activism in the Arab Spring; however, when she arrived, she noticed that there were other issues that had not been explored such as racial dynamics of the country. Her research is important to her because she branched out and studied another cultural contexts, which required her to change her ideas and views on race within and outside of the United States. She also realizes that she shed light

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on an issue that would not have been explored, which is the activism of Black Tunisians who have been marginalized in the country.

To Loder, being recognized as Woman of the Year is less about what she has accomplished and more about the light that other people have seen in her along the way. She says that she always wants people to feel like she sees them, embraces them, talks to them and learns about their experiences. She attributes everything that she has achieved to her village and support system comprised of her family, friends, line sisters and professors such as Dr. Ashante Reese and Dr. Cynthia Nelson.

“I live by the motto that everything I do and accomplish is for the purpose of me pouring that back out into the community that raised me and into my village. I love my city with my heart, and Birmingham is still so much in me that I push myself to the extent that do so that I can give back and be a part of a communal uplift of that community.”

Upon graduating from Spelman, Loder will attend Stanford University to obtain her Ph.D. in Sociology. She aspires to become a college professor and teach sociology as she would like to be at the forefront of creating knowledge and transferring it to other individuals. She desires to influence students during that pivotal period in their lives.