Taking a Look Back to Move Forward...

Today nine yeas ago today I landed on the American soil with my mom, as a 17 years old boy from the Ivory Coast. When we got to the States,  I spoke little to no English. As I was trying to enter high school, they asked me to spell the word 'NOW' and I could not spell N O W even if my life depended on it. And this should explain how much English I knew when I got here. 

I entered high school as a Freshmen when I as 17, from the get go all the odds where stocked up against me to fail. One I spoke no English and second, i was three years late. I believe I was the oldest Freshmen in Roosevelt High School that years, that is among those who kept their real age...  Only my LIB/Africans brother and sister will comprehend this. As mentioned earlier, though I spoke no English when I entered high school, by the end of my first semester I was an "A+" student, and I got a straight "A" student award. Now you probably don't have a clue how much this certificate mean to me and what just that piece of paper have done to me. 

Back in the Ivory Coast I made from 1st grade to passing my college entrance exam failing only twice, once in the third grade and once at my college entrance exam, in eight years of going to school, and have gotten nothing to show for it. No, award, no certificate, no recognition whatsoever. So here I am in not only a foreign country but continent with no relative at all, the better half of my first year in Saint Louis, Mo. I lived it in survival mode. And I get an award after three months. If I have ever been eager to learn this award made me want to learn even the more. I am writing this to take a look back at what I have accomplished in the pass nine years. Three years after "Coming To America" at age 20, I graduated from high school, ranked 6 in my graduating class. Member of the National Honor Society of America, and received many more award during these three years in high school. What did it take? I am glad you ask. It took hard work, I had to go to summer school, night school. All this while I was working 6pm to 1am four day a week.

I got accepted in a few colleges, Lawrence Tech, SLU, UCSN, like every other high school students I wanted to go as far as I could from Saint Louis, MO. Thus, I decided to go to California States University, Northridge, to major in Computer Science. However, that did not work out as planed. So, I move to Sioux Falls, SD. Enrolled into an institute majoring in Computer Tech. A year later I graduated with a diploma in Computer Tech. Than I decided to get a job for the summer of 08, in order to redefine my priorities. This process took me three years. At the end of the three years, I quit my job and got back into school. I am currently a senior at the University of Sioux Falls, studying Theology and Youth Ministry. This note is just a brief reflection of my residency here in the United States. 

In the process of achieving all that I have, there has been so many help. First would be Jesus, my Lord and Savior. All my teachers at RHS, Ms. Kim Fisher, Mrs. Tsimollo Jones, Mrs. Maria, Mr. Sabbo, Mrs. Salimovic, and many more... Also my church family at New City Fellowship. To you all from the bottom of my heart I say thank you, and I appreciate all you have done for me. I thank God for you every time I take a look back, just as I am doing NOW, I can finally spell it. May God bless you and give double of everything you have pull out to your children. May He give them wisdom beyond their years... So,  once again THANK YOU!!!

 

This I Believe: The Game of Tennis is just like Life

       I begin playing tennis in the spring of 2005, and felt in Love with it at the strike of the first ball though I was kind of embraced afterward. I believe tennis is just like life because in tennis a player has all the support he might need and the training necessary to win a game, however when he gets on the court he is on his own, and so it is in life, when you are young parents and family member train and support you, however when the time comes for you to make decision in life you are your own. 

These I believe and love about the game of tennis, whether I win or lose I have no one to blame but me. When the ball is served, I decide whether to return it with a forehand down the line or with a backhand cross court or not try to return it at all. That analogy can very much be applied to life, when I am in a situation the only person I blame for it is me. To me it does not matter what advice people give I make the choice to follow it or not, backhand cross court or not try at all.

This I believe, the game of tennis is a community game, as much as it may look like an individual I saw my high school tennis team come together very nicely because of the game. Most of them I am still close friends with five years after high school. I have learned a lot on the tennis court that I can and do apply to my life. Things like patience, keeping a positive attitude no matter what the outcome of a situation is. This I believe, the game of tennis is just like life on a court.

Who am I as a Writer?

To be honest, when I began this course I use to be scared that I wouldn’t be able to make it as it is a writing class to the point that when I was asked to write what my expectation was for the class, I didn’t do it. The other thing to keep in mind is that one ca’t be a writer of anything if he’s not first a reader. Before 2009, I was not much of a reader myself, therefore I did not have a voice as a writer. However, after the summer of 2009, when my reading adventure began, I couldn’t help myself but to write. I keep a journal of my reading, what I thought, how I felt after reading a book and that was before I enroll at USF.

Throughout the semester I have wrote a few papers. I always struggle to begin all of my papers, the other thing that was challenging for me was the process of revision. Growing up my dad would say, when you do something do it one time and get done with it. So revision not something I feel strong doing. When Dr. Dyer explained the first major paper assignment’s description, he talked about a Discovery Draft, a Conference Draft, a Rough Draft, than a Final Draft. In my mind I said what have I got myself into? One of the handout that was handed to us talked about the what it take to get a paper from a blank sheet of paper to the final piece. The author talked about writing been the process of rewriting. He said a paper could be written about ten to fifteen times before it’s ready for the audience. The other thing is that did not grasp the ideal of audience and how as a writer my voice can change according to the audience. 

Little by little the process of writing, rewriting, revising, proofreading, editing, focusing a paper on the subject at hand became a lot easier, thinking about it now I remember that my first paper had more than three focus point. Before this class have multiple focus points was fine by me, but now I know and recognize that a paper cannot be well written at the first draft. Though the process was hard for me, by the time I turned in my final draft I was extremely glad I went through the process of rewriting and editing.

Throughout the term and after countless of revised drafts, I would consider myself as an informative writer, because I feel like there is a lot that needs to be said and not much is been said at all. As a writer I want to deliver a message to my audience that would be not only relevant but at the same time challenging, in a since that’s what I want my writing to be. If it was that my mind set about writing one time and not revise it I wouldn’t know the importance of it as I do now, I used the information that was giving to me in the challenge to improve my writing.  

Why I chose to pursue a higher education?

       One of my favorite quote is that of Malcolm X that says, “The mind is a terrible thing to waste,” which the United Negro College found as adopted as their slogan. Now I can relate to that slogan first hand. After my graduation from high school in 2007, I went to a tech school and studied computer tech. However in the summer of 2008 I decided to get a job for the summer while I refocus myself about what it is that I want to do. Three summer months became three long years and while working I did not put my mind into anything academic, or intellectual to build my mind up. I was literally wasting away. Writing started to get harder, reading I was not doing much to start with, so I got even worse.

I have always say to myself, everything a person has can be taken away from him, but what a person knows intellectually is permanent and forever. No one can remove or take it away unless the person don’t do anything with it, then what the person has learned will waste away. That is one of the mean reasons why I love been educated and still long to know more. The mind is like a muscle, when a muscle is not challenge or worked it fades. Same with the mind, when it is not constantly being educated it wastes away. That is why I am pursuing higher education.

I come from a country in which everything can be taken away from you in a flash by a civil war or by injustice from the corrupted government. Anybody who has been through a civil war knows that the only thing you come out with if your life is spared is your intellect, what you know and nothing else. My experience makes me value education and if there was anything else above a higher education I would seek it too, for it is something no one can out a price on.

I Values education because I know that if I lose every materials possession I can acquire it back as long as I am intellectually stable. Now let say I am not educated and have worked my entire life, bought a house, a car and I am not educated. At that point if I would lose my job and for that reason can’t make payments on the house and the car, I would lose it all. I would take me more longer time to get those things back, then if I was educated. I have seen it many time in the African community, when people had slave themselves in their work and had it all before a civil war broke out, and after ward they lost everything. With the grace of God when they make to the states it’s extremely arduous to earn a living because they have not education.

      With all that and my own experience a higher education is a necessity. It’s a life long process that I mind not wasting. No matter how long it takes I am willing to go through the steps to acquire a higher intellect, because the mind is an awful thing to waste. 

Why am I at U.S.F? Part 2

In September of 2009 I experienced something I like call my awakening. A friend invited me to a church service, when I felt from there that evening something clicked inside of me and I knew that is what I want. The experience led me to read more of my Bible and not only that, the words inside of it began to apply to me directly. Before hand when I read the promises of the Bible it felt like it was for someone else not for me. I also began to read a lot more of Christian books, my very first one was, “Walking with God” by John Eldredge. That book was exactly what I needed to understand how to  not only walk but also work with God and John brought all that into prospective for me with the help of God.

The months that fellow my experience led me to learn a lot about God, who He was to me, and who He wasn’t. Through more personal experiences, books, CDs, and DVDs. My relationship with God was not anymore something distant but personal, to the point that I know that He relates to me, He understands my doubts and unbelief. That really change me in a way that only God can comprehend. However, what I did not get was that the hunger for Him grew even more, instead of been filled I craved for God more than I ever had.

All what I have just said leads me to the reason why I am attending U.S.F, (University of Sioux Falls), SD, and I decided to study Theology. I enrolled at university because my CDs, books, and DVDs were not enough anymore. Once again I had the passion to learn, however this time I come in with a different mind set, now I am more than willing to put in the work, what ever it takes, weather reading, writing, and doing research, I am up to it all. The reason why I cherish my three years at John Morrell, for it changed my work ethic, I am not willing to push behind myself and to accomplish what needs to be done  and second I pick up reading which were both things I was missing. 

The University of Sioux Falls provides all I need, not only is the university a liberal art institution, it’s also a Christian university, which model is to care for the holistic person. It strives not only to develop the intellect of its students but grow them spiritually as well. The university is filled with messages of intellects, love, giving, serving, and above all that it is filled with the acknowledgement of God in all it does and that makes  me believe I am in the right place at the right time.  

My studying of Theology at the university of Sioux Falls, does not only answer the reason why i am there it also answers the question of why I am here on the earth. I have grown to love God and deepen my understanding of Him so much that I don’t see myself doing anything else but His will and being His servant. Leaning how to do that is the reason why I am here at the University of Sioux Falls. In addition all that is offer here for me to get involve I don’t why accomplishing that should a problem.

Now if you take a look at where I am coming from, you would see that there is no way indicating that I would want to be a preacher. I went from wanting to be a lawyer, to a pro. tennis player, to trying computer tech. Studying religion was not in my plan for the future. I now can to the understanding that I wouldn’t have a future if God is not in it, and if He does not design that future for me, it wouldn’t be bright. So as I learn, I determine myself to know all I can about what the will of God is for my life and that is what will do.

Why am I at U.S.F? Part 1

When I first graduate from high school in 2007 I wanted to be so many things, a lawyer, a professional tennis player, a computer scientist etc... I found out that professional tennis player was out of the question when I saw the age they pro started and the amount of work they were willing to put in. I also knew I did not want to be a lawyer when I saw that books the had to read, and when I saw how dishonest some lawyers can, defending someone after knowing that the person is guilty of the committed crime. And that was something I was not ready to do or deal with.

That left me with one more option after graduation and that was to be a computer scientist. I was fascinated with computers, how it does what it does, I wanted to know all, the inside and the outside of it. So I applied at few colleges and universities around the country, CSUN: (California State University, Northridge), LTU: (LawrenceTechnological University) in Southfield, MI, SLU: (Saint Louis University) in MO and Forest Park Community college in Saint Louis, MO. I got accepted in all of them, however like many high school grads I want to go far from home, so I chose CSUN, because it was far and it was warmer than Saint Louis, MO.

I planned to move my mom to Sioux Falls, SD to my sister and than take on my adventure in the big state. However, like many things we humans do, nothing went according to my plan. So I reconsidered my options and applied at STI: (Southeast Technical Institute), majored in computer tech. I loved every bit of my experience at STI, my understanding of college changed, the instructors were willing to help any time, some gave the students their cell phone number and ask them call when they need help understanding something. At the end of my first year I felt like even though I liked computers all it was not what I want to do for a living. There was something deep within  me, I did not know what it was then, but was later to find out.

After I got my diplomat in computer tech, I decided to get a job for the three summer months of June to August. Once again my plan did not go accordingly, I ended up working at John Morrell & Co. for three years, seeking the understanding of what it was I wanted to do. My experience at Morrell was great, I met and acquainted myself with people from all around the globe and people from all sorts of life. I also learned a lot about what goes on in the meat production industry, I have gained more respect for  people who work in production companies now than I did before working at John Morrell. On the other hand, the unknown longing within me grew stronger. 

Continue on part 2

Who am I as a Community Member?

I just got home from watching, “COURAGEOUS” the movie and it got me thinking about who I want to be as a father first of all to my children and what kind of community member do I want to be? Therefore I too have made a resolution to be a man of integrity, and worthy of respect. I have made the resolution to be a man that will not do and say the right thing only because he is in public, but do the right because it is who I am in my home.

Study shows that children who grow up in a fatherless home are more probed to rebellion not only in their family but also outside. However I say it not only the lack of fathers but also the lack of mentors and role models that leads a child into rebellion. All the role modeling that our kids are exposed to these days is Hollywood, MTV, BET etc… No one wants to help the struggling kid, we leave it all to the parents, (fathers) most of the times. “It takes two individuals to bring a child forth into this world, but it takes the entire community to raise that child. I want to be part of that community.

The other fact is that most of the children who grow up with “fathers” in their lives when asked they would say they don’t want to be like their fathers. I am one of those children, I had the privilege to have my father around for 14 years before he past and if you ask me if I want to be like my father I would say, “Not really.” What up with that? Is there really no one that would lead the next generation into knowing what is right? Trust and honesty are a human way of living that I like to consider to be on the verge of extinction. People’s words don’t mean anything to them anymore. However I want to stand out, not because I want recognition from anyone, but because I hold that much to the next generation.

 Home, with father is where it all begins, but it does not end there. Fathers need to take responsibility for the upbringing of their children. Our society is filled with things that tells our children that been a person integrity is not cool; home should not be one of those place  or things. Therefore, I believe that home is where the truth needs to be established. Today, by the grace of God I am working with a few High school students in my community and I know it would pay off someday. Somebody has to try at least to set up a standard of living for the next generation. We need to get back to the point where our “Yes” means exactly that, “Yes” not maybe but, “Yes.”

 It is hard to see how much needs are out there till you put yourself in the shoes of a fatherless child. Kids are in need of good role models, just someone they could look up to. I like to be involved in what is going on in my community. Thus my relationship with the student at Lincoln High gives me the chance to be not only a role model but also an example to those kids. There is no better feeling than to see a young guy come up to you and says, “thank you,” and you go for what? And he says, “For listening.” Don't we all need that somebody that would not judge but just listen? We all do... I like to invest in my community because I believe that what you put in must and will come out. If I spend my time investing in the life of those high school kids I know in return they will also invest in the life of others and the cycle will go on and so forth, from this generation to the next.

In my community I strive to build up the next generation with godly attributes. Every chance and opportunity I get to speak/invest into the lives of young folks, I use it to the best of my ability, and pray it affects them in a positive way. I want that to be the legacy I am remembered by, in my family and in my community.