I Almost Didn’t Finish College: My Story on Perseverance

I was the only person in my family to go to college, so when a financial aid issue prevented me from returning to NMU for a second semester, I was determined to do everything in my power to finish. I went back home and picked up two jobs to pay what I owed. The following year I was able to return to NMU and I graduated in four years with a degree in community health education and psychology. Most people wouldn’t have gone back, but I wanted to. I needed to.

So, I made it happen. But not without the support of the NMU community. Terrell Taylor, the president of the Black Student Union at the time, welcomed me to campus with open arms. Rynee Stenson, a staff member in the Student Services Center, really looked out for me – she gave me guidance and resources to help me succeed. I was also fortunate to be able to work with Dr. Patricia Hogan, who really liked my work, and she helped me develop my ideas of community education and take it to the next level. None of these people knew a single thing about me when I stepped foot on campus, but I immediately felt like I had known them for a lifetime. I was over 400 miles away from where I called home, so having the support of Terrell, Rynee and Dr. Hogan was imperative to my success.

NMU gave me the tools I needed to make an impact in my community. Not only do I work as a field training deputy for the Kent County Sheriff’s Department Correctional Facility, but I am also the community outreach and engagement deputy, a position in which I helped the department create. It is through this work where my background in community education really shines through. We visit schools, read books to kids, attend career days and show up on university campuses to bring awareness to the different professions in law enforcement. We do a backpack giveaway through the Sheriff’s Department at the beginning of the school year and it’s so cool to see kids who don’t have much, be able to go to the first day of school with a full bag of supplies.

I am fortunate to be able to use this platform as a way to do what I believe I was put on this earth to do – mentor and use my voice to help others. Being an African American man in a field where it isn’t as widely accepted, I am able to share my story, relate to students and show them representation in this field. Things are changing and change happens from within – if I’m going to help change something, I want to make sure I’m changing alongside it.

I have also been involved with Endless Opportunities, a nonprofit organization that aims to deliver innovative mentoring experiences to youth through things like etiquette classes, networking events and mentoring programs. A childhood friend involved in this organization brings me in as a speaker where I can talk about law enforcement as a career and the different opportunities within the profession.

While this isn’t where I expected my path to lead me, this job has given me the opportunities, tools and resources to help people at different levels. Every time I read a book to a kid or give a student a tour of our facility to share more about law enforcement, I know I’m making a difference and using my platform to do good. I know this from my time at NMU volunteering through the Black Student Union and Superior Edge: People remember people who do good things.

Perseverance is what got me here. And it’s what keeps me going.