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.

Who am I as a Reader?

                Throughout my years in school, reading was not my strong suit. It was not like I hated reading but I just could not read for fun. When I saw friends with books in hand I found myself longing for that, been able to read because I wanted to and not because it was required of me, Which was back then the only way I would find myself reading. The other thing that made reading hard for me I think was impatience, I would myself enjoying a book of 300 hundred pages and after reading about 50 or so pages I would literally count how many more pages I had left. And that would be the end of my reading and the end of the book.

                However I the summer of 2009 something kind of change, when I started working at John Morrell and Co. for about a year at that point.  A guy who became a dear friend of mine, Melvin brought in a book, and was reading. I don’t remember the title, but my longing to read surfaced again. When we finally went for lunch break I think I ask him how he does it, for that book was about 500 pages. I went on to explain to him who I was as a reader. I was like a tutor, who when he is not under pressure would not move. If I did not have to read I wouldn’t read.

                My friend explains to me that as a beginner in reading I should start with something I like. He went on by giving me a list of genre such as fiction, non-fiction, autobiography etc… The next day I went to the Goodwill store on Kiwanis and I bought myself a book. Determined that I was going to read it and finish it. “THE KISS” by Danielle Steel, bought it for 50cents. I started reading the book on 06/08/2009, to my utmost surprise I couldn’t put the book down.  I came back late from my lunch break at work the next two days many times. I finished reading, “THE KISS” on 06/12/2009. That was the beginning of my love for books and also for reading.

                Since THE KISS, I have read more than 75 books. I had a book in my procession every week after that. I read everything and anything from the twilight sage to DREANS FROM MY FATHER, by Barack Obama to STILL ME, by Christopher Reeve. I learned a lot about the stem cell research from that book, Which Mr. Reeve “Superman” was a strong believer. Learning is also something that came a lot handy when I started to read. Simple thing like my vocabulary went to the next level.

                Now a day my reading preference went from fantasy to inspirational. Something I couldn’t say two years ago is that I love reading and I believe it is what encouraged me to come back to school. Now I consider myself an active reader, for I am constantly reading something. My understanding has change over the past year in ways I can’t begin explain; I have also grown a lot intellectually in the process.