How has your upbringing shaped where you are today?

• “My upbringing has definitely shaped me a lot. To start off my ancestral lineage track down the south, to include the southern ports and with that my parents are well into their 60s. So, I always had a good understanding of where I come from as well as a unique perspective of the world, when comparing the the past to the current. My family had the fears and hopes for me as a young black boy in America growing up. So, they tried to give me every opportunity possible because both of my parents are college graduates. But, the rest of their siblings are not and with that responsibility, they were fortunate enough to have jobs to look out for their siblings. I learned then that it definitely takes a village and to never forget where you come from.”
• “My dad was apart of the Urban League, so growing up I went to a lot of their functions and NAACP events. My mom was a news reporter and she always vocalized and talk about pertinent issues in the black community. Watching them , I felt the importances of speaking out about social injustices and advocating for change. I was inspired to get into a lot of environments where you see people who do not look like us. Someone has to get in there to change the system and to bring others up. That is the only way progress and change can happen.”

What is your definition of the grey area?

• “The grey area consists of finding out what is next while self reflecting and evaluating your current position . I feel a lot of expectations were put in place for me, for example, since I was 6 I followed the perfect route of what was expected of me and performing well. But, since I have been out of college I feel nothing is progressing as it should be and I am not feeling content. In the grey area you catch yourself not looking at the good things  in front of you and absorbing the moment as it is. In my job searches I know I meet the qualifications and I know I can dutifully perform a set task cause if not wouldn’t have got this degree nor applied. It is frustrating when you read somewhere that 300,000 jobs was added and you think damn I can’t get one of those? “

Currently, are you in the grey area?

• “Yes, I feel like I did not give myself the opportunity to see what I could be in my major. I help internships with the Chamber of Commerce and other entities that fell outside out my major, so currently it is a struggle. In film and tv you are only working on a gig till it is finished and then you are back in the unemployment line waiting for the next one. In the meantime I have been applying to white collar professions but it has been difficult because of my electronics media background. If I had gone back I would change my major to tailor to white collar jobs. “

Do you believe the grey area is temporary or permament?

• “For sure it is a temporary thing, it’s definitely a frame of mind. I’m always optimistic, glass half full. Just like Cole said, there is beauty in the struggle and I try to look at the better things.”

Post- graduation, what is your view of college?

• “I do believe there is a point to it. All good things have to come to an end. You get lots of time to have fun and to grow into the younger person you are supposed to be. I learned that all the answers are not going college because we are evolving beings. It’s not like ‘I’m in college. I am here for 4 years, what’s happening? Why is this not happening, whats is going on? There is clearly levels to it. That’s what college taught me. It also taught me to keep the connections you make at college, networking is important.”