#82) Adjusting Your Approach
I love sports.
My love of sports began when my brother Damon christened our bedroom with a poster of Magic Johnson and the 1979 National Champion Michigan State Spartans.
Over the years, my love and appreciation for sports has deepened. My conversations with friends are peppered with sports terminologies. My teaching is colored with the use of sports analogies. But more importantly, my understanding of life is enriched through sport examples.
Of the many great lessons I have learned from sports, there is one that has enduring resonance – knowing when to adjust your approach.
In the mid 80’s, Coach John Thompson led the Georgetown Hoyas to prominence. 
His teams were noted for their defense, doggedness, and the prominent role that centers / big men played. A center is a position on a basketball team that usually is filled by the teams’ tallest player. Of the five players a team has on the court, the center is usually the closest to the basket. Coach Thompson won a championship with Patrick Ewing as the team’s center. In fact, Georgetown became synonymous with dominant centers as the lineage grew to include Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutumbo.
To enjoy Georgetown basketball was to enjoy a team established upon the talents of its big men.
In the early 90’s there was a great deal of controversy over how a group of adult men could provoke a fight with high school students with an outcome of the students being charged as criminals. At the epicenter of that miscarriage of justice was Allen Iverson.
I attended college in Allen Iverson’s hometown where the legend of Bubba-Chuck (Iverson’s family nickname) loomed large. He was both a football and basketball All-American as a high school junior. His athletic ability and personal tenacity were undisputed. The irony was the ferocity of Iverson’s competitiveness paled his diminutive physical stature. On the basketball court, Iverson’s position was guard.
Guards are quite often the smallest and quickest players on a basketball team. Prior to Iverson, only the most ardent of sports fans could name a standout guard from a Georgetown team. No one, however, could have imagined the Georgetown offense flowing through a guard.
Which brings us to the life lesson derived from John Thompon’s coaching tenure. That life lesson is that to have enduring success, we have to adjust our approach. The success of yesterday’s approach is not always applicable to today’s situation. Coach Thompson experienced great success as a coach whose teams revolved around its centers. He also had the astuteness to adjust his approach when incorporating an extraordinary circumstance, an extremely unique talent in the form of Allen Iverson. In retrospect, a number of coaches would have imposed their old way of doing things upon Iverson. I admire Coach Thompson for making the adjustment.
Knowing when and how to adjust one’s approach is not common knowledge nor is it a common practice.
Have you ever heard a teacher complain about students nowadays? That’s a teacher who failed to adjust their approach. Have you ever seen an institution that used to have a large membership but now is a shadow of its former self? That’s an institution that failed to adjust its approach. In your own life, have you ever been continuously bothered by a situation or occurrence, only to later realize that it wasn’t the situation or occurrence that needed to change – it was you who needed to adjust your approach.
#81) A Conversation with Author Kim McQuitty
Sometimes in our lives, we are granted the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of our friends. For a number of us, our friends list on facebook significantly dwarfs the number of friends we really know. I thought I knew Kim McQuitty. 
I was fortunate to teach her daughter, Simone, in kindergarten. I remember creating projections of how I wanted my family to be based upon Kim and Marvin’s family. However, in spite of all the favorable opinions I had about Kim, I did not really know her. But after reading her recently released book, Me, My Man & His Music, I not only feel as though I know her better, I am a hundredfold more inspired by her story. Today, we take the time to share her inspiring story with you.
A conversation with Kim McQuitty:
MEASURABLE ADVANCEMENT: Share with us some of your background and what prepared you for the stories shared in your book.
KIM MCQUITTY: The reason I shared the stories that I selected is because I believe that the audience to which the book was written, could identify with them. I have received many emails that speak of the same challenges Marvin and I experienced on our journey. Some of the stories I shared because as hard as things were, God gave us the victory at every turn.
MA: When did you “know” this book needed to be birthed?
KM: I knew the book needed to be birthed after Marvin’s health challenges and the miracles he experienced.
MA: During the days of doubt, can you share a few of the things that kept you going?
KM: The fact that I did not want my kids to be a product of divorce, and Galatians 6:9 is what kept me going. I knew there was a light at the end of the rainbow, but I had to weather the storm, first. The other thing that kept me going is that I did not want to abort my destiny because I truly believe it is connected to being married to Marvin McQuitty and being a mentor to musician’s wives.
MA: When did you know it was all going to work out in your favor?
KM: Actually, it wasn’t until 2005 when we transitioned to Houston, a year after Marvin left Face to Face. We were surrounded by families that did what we do – music full-time. The support system we now have assured me everything would be alright. We didn’t have the support system in Michigan that we have in Texas. It has been said, “You life will be the same in 5 years, expect for the books you read and the people you meet.” Our lives are a testament of that.
MA: For those in the midst of trying times, what encouragement would you share?
KM: I would say, “Don’t Give Up.” Many times we make permanent decisions based on temporary circumstances. Nothing lasts forever. It is during times of testing, that our character is shaped. Hang in there. God has not forgotten about you and your circumstances, and He has an appointed time of deliverance for you.
MA: Readers could think that your book is the end of your story, but we know better. Share some of your current activities and future plans.
KM: Marvin and I plan to travel and share our story with other couples in the music ministry. Also, I will begin mentoring musician’s wives in 2012.
ADVANCEblog is honored to share our conversation with Kim McQuitty. In addition to picking up a copy of Me, My Man & His Music, we also encourage you to download Marvin’s latest release, Psalms 30.
#80) Mighty Big Shoes To Fill
We have some mighty big shoes to fill.
For people who have experienced the lost of a parent and amid their grief, they realize, “it’s all up to me now.” That’s how I feel.
I feel that way due to the passing of Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, Dr. Wangari Maathai and Professor Derrick Bell. Although I never had the fortune of their personal company, I know some of the opportunities I have experienced and opportunities that lie ahead, exist because of their sacrifice. I am indebted to their sacrifice, a debt that can only begin to be retired through service to others.
There is a notion that sometimes leaders can become egotists. The admiration and adulation of their followers can distort a leaders’ perception of self. That notion is sometimes inappropriately applied to church leaders. Fred Shuttlesworth was a church leader. Yet, to limit a description of him to just a church leader would be as insufficient as regarding the Pacific Ocean as a puddle of water. Without going into a history lesson of his life (and what an extraordinary life it was), my most prominent lesson from Reverend Shuttlesworth comes from my interpretation of his ego-less leadership.
History shows that Reverend Shuttlesworth fought at the forefront of the fight for civil rights. His home was bombed. His arrests were numerous. He was the esteemed leader for change. However, at a time ripe with possible notoriety, Reverend Shuttlesworth supported the ascension of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to the forefront. I am not so privileged to know why, but I believe the choice was to the benefit of all. How many could have toiled through the dirty work of building the foundation of a movement and choose to take a low seat while elevating a newcomer to lead the charge? Not many. As a testimony to his wisdom and intense commitment to the greater good, we are all indebted to Reverend Shuttlesworth. The shoes of Reverend Shuttlesworth are might big shoes to fill.
To attempt to breach the topic of the treatment of women in other countries would be for me to trespass in a 
realm of uncertainty. I know that sexism exists within our culture. I have a perception that sexism that exists in other cultures can be far more ingrained, intense, and crippling. Yet, with a spirit of empathy, I celebrate the courageousness of a woman like Wangari Maathai, whose Green Belt Movement is a marriage of environmentalism and women’s rights. To be a prominent champion of one of those causes is an immense undertaking, but being the champion of two could be inhuman. But when considering the subjugation women face in Maathai’s native Kenya and other parts of the globe, what could be more inhumane than that? To work against cultural tides advocating causes from which one has suffered can only be done by the strongest of souls. With the passing of Wangari Maathai, we have some big shoes to fill.
Finally, the legal mind of Derrick Bell was as profound and analytical as it was keenly perceptive and courageous. His professional confrontations were as morally grounded as they were controversial. If ever there were a work of fiction that could spark intense discussion, Professor Bell’s Space Invaders is such a work. I believe Professor Bell would consider the post-racial society of which the election of one of his former pupils supposedly began, a farce. Professor Bell’s position on Critical Race Theory may be unpopular to some, but it most definitely merits a thoughtful analysis of our society. Many of us have opinions about societal matters and the effects of racism, but few have framed those issues more intelligently than Professor Bell. His shoes will be mighty hard to fill.
So what must we do after losing a champion of civil rights, an exceptional advocate for women and the environment, and a professor undaunted by recognizing, researching, and calling out racism for the evil monster that it is?
Their shoes are too colossal for us to fill. Yet, their missions, their sacrifice, and their legacies are too consequential to be lost on the back pages of yesterday’s obituaries. Out of respect for their struggle and the benefit of having shoes of our own – each of us can get to work on causes much greater than personal gain. We can work for the greater good of each other. We can individually and collectively make a difference just by stepping toward a purpose in shoes that are our own.
#79) “Injustice Anywhere is a Threat ….”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
On September 21, 2011, Troy Davis is scheduled to be executed. Mr. Davis is a death row inmate in Georgia who has been incarcerated for twenty years. The charge is that he murdered a police officer. However, a number of witnesses and conflicting stories culminate into what the NAACP accurately labels TOO MUCH DOUBT.
The NAACP has also designated a page, A Case for Clemency, that provides details about the Davis case and why a stay of execution and release from prison should be granted. More information about the Troy Davis case can be found here and here.
We ask that whatever contributions of advocacy you choose, that you in fact do something. The collective effort of “somethings” can turn the tide on this act of injustice. What will you do in the face of injustice?
#78) Playing Not To Get Hurt
A lesson I learned as a high school football player was that when people play the game with reservation and the intention of not getting injured – usually, they get injured.
I have come to better understand that lesson is not exclusive to sports; it is also life lesson.
I recall the challenges of dating as a young adult. At that time, some of the most promising relationships were undermined because one of us did not want to get hurt. By “not wanting to get hurt,” one of us held back information, erected insurmountable barriers, or justified our negative energy by erroneously believing we were protecting ourselves. It does not matter the nature of the excuse, the truth is by internalizing any excuse the relationship was doomed. We missed the opportunity to grow and engage in new experiences. By “not wanting to get hurt,” we made ourselves more susceptible to greater injury.
I think of some dear professional colleagues and their desire to advance their careers. They have the qualifications and the talents that make them strong candidates for better jobs. But because they “don’t want to get hurt,” they never apply. The fear of rejection makes them a prisoner of their own unhappy circumstances.
I know friends and family members who carry the cross of some unhealthy relationships. The crux of that cross is their unwillingness to communicate. They fear they will hear or say something they will regret. So instead of saying or doing anything, they hold back. Allowing their silence to expand the gap of misunderstanding and hurt themselves and others.
Which takes me back to football.
Football is a demanding and brutal sport, just as is life. When we are handed the ball in life, we have to hit the holes (take advantage of opportunities) at full speed. Football players who stand still or run tentatively are treated with the most vicious of punishment. But those who charge ahead full speed, while they indeed will suffer some hits they will most importantly gain yardage. In life, gaining yardage translates to moving closer to one’s goal, closer to a touchdown!
So how about you? Are you living life at full speed? Or are you living with too much caution, trying not to get hurt?
#77) Taking The Country Back?
I recently read an article about Michelle Bachman and her campaign for the presidency. The article quoted a supporter who believed Bachman was the best person to “take our country back.” Which prompted me to question, “from whom exactly would we be taking back our country?”
Helen Keller could see that statement is a not-so-veiled swipe at President Barack Obama. 
President Obama is certainly not the first leader whose constituents have disagreed with his choices. However, he is the first African-American President of the United States. He is also seemingly the first president to experience such an extreme magnitude of public disrespect. Is it a coincidence?
During President Obama’s tenure, we have witnessed a congressman rudely shout as the president spoke. We have seen an editor of a major publication disparage the president. We have even been subjected to criticisms hurled at the president by an esteemed former supporter. Which causes us to ponder if the tremendous disrespect is due to his ethnicity? That surely merits consideration, even if some of the president’s most passionate critics are African-American.
Yet, the original question remains – from whom exactly would we be taking back our country?
Perhaps taking it back from Democrats? No, the sentiment seems to have implications beyond political affiliation. Although political alliances are convenient alibis.
Perhaps taking our country back from “want-to-be-socialists?” Whatever. The debt ceiling legislation should have raised questions. Then again, so did the bailout of General Motors. Yet, the bailout of General Motors kept thousands of Americans working and prevented an additional economic catastrophe.
Perhaps taking our country back from the Black president? Those who thought President Obama’s election would be the commencement of a post-racial society were immensely mistaken. Racism is alive and continues to garner momentum. Certainly, the intense segregation of Jim Crow has diminished; yet, the percentage of minority children regulated to inferior schools is proving to be a more damning lifelong prison sentence.
So again, from whom exactly would we be taking back our country?
It seems to me, that that supporter, the would-be campaign of Donald Trump, and any other mud-slinging, innuendo-promoting, fact-less opponent of President Obama are all engaging in juvenile politics. The type of politics that say “if I can’t beat you on the issues, I will just beat on you.” The type of politics that attacks a person’s character rather than their body of work. The type of politics that will be detrimental to all of us. Seriously, the Obama-as-a-socialist position is as tired as the birth certificate charade. Improving educational systems and increasing jobs are just two more important matters than the soap opera topics being masqueraded as issues.
I am looking forward to the up-coming election. It is my hope that real issues are raised and the real remedies are eventually implemented. I also hope for a return to civility and responsibility. Moreover, I hope for patience along with tangible evidence of promise. Because I understand substantive change does not happen overnight.
Come to think of it – perhaps that supporter wants to take back the country from people like you or me.
#76) Knowing When It Is Time
Two of the most potentially damaging attributes of youth are impatience and lack of discernment. In many instances, youth, impatience, and lack of discernment appear to be peas in the same pod. In the context of this writing, youth is not solely a reference to age, but also encompasses immaturity and inexperience. Two of the most valuable components to the success of emerging leaders is their discernment of the proper timing of their transition into leadership and an accurate assessment of the environment where they will exercise that leadership. If they move too soon, their leadership could become subjected to diminished growth potential that metaphorically mirrors that of premature babies. 
If they choose the wrong environment, their leadership potential and more will become damaged, possibly beyond repair. It seems that the process of developing young leaders is rife with pitfalls. The likelihood of emerging leaders maturing through all the challenges in their path bears an uncanny likeness to the baby turtles that emerge from the sand and head to the sea. It is not likely that they all will survive.
Earlier this year, Coach Shaka Smart led the Virginia Commonwealth Rams to the Final Four of the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. The VCU Rams were far from an impressive team during the early stages of the season. Yet, they seem to catch fire and 
perform with intensity and purpose when the games mattered most. Their performance during the tournament catapulted Coach Smart into consideration for more lucrative coaching positions. Coach Smart demonstrated patience by remaining with VCU. His choice will possibly ensure the proper development of his career.
During the early stages of the last presidential election, a number of skeptics decried Barack Obama’s political experience. Some even noted how he was trounced in his first political contest 
against Representative Bobby Rush. Despite criticism and in light of limited senatorial experience, Barack Obama immersed himself into the presidential campaign. Months later, he was elected as President of the United States. President Obama’s accurate assesement of timing has proven to be a choice of historic proportions.
What may sometimes be overlooked are variables that are just as vital to an emerging leader’s success as is their talent. By all accounts, Mike Tomlin was a promising young football coach. The Pittsburgh Steelers organization is known for wise leadership and coaching continuity. Coach Tomlin has proven to be exceptional, as evidenced by his trips to the Super Bowl. However, we 
cannot diminish the value of the environment in which he was selected to work. Despite all of his talent and leadership guile, had Coach Tomlin been selected to lead the Detroit Lions, he would possibly be unemployed and definitely would not be held in the high regard he enjoys today. When talent is placed in the proper environment, the results can reach the ultimate winning magnitude.
Shaka Smart chose to remain. Barack Obama chose to seize the opportunity. Mike Tomlin benefits from a supportive environment. It appears each of these gentlemen made the best choice. With emerging leaders, it appears that egoless discernment is essential to making the rewarding choice. Sometimes opportunity is not when or how it was anticipated. Yet, knowing when it is time to act is critical. Essentially, an emerging leader’s choices of timing and environment will be indicative of his or her time as the leader. By the end of the leader’s tenure, we can say the potential was evident from the start.
#75) Busyness Does Not Equal Productivity
During a meeting some time ago, one of my former supervisors declared, “I got a man who can do several things at once!” The supervisor was attempting to prod the administrative team into working faster and accomplishing more tasks. That pronouncement also conveyed another message. It conveyed, that the supervisor mistook busyness for productivity. Let this blog serve as either a reminder or a warning that busyness does not equal productivity.
One of my students submitted an inferior assignment. The student explained having “stayed up all night on my laptop” as evidence that their work must be good. Given the reddish hue of the studnet’s eyes and unusual unkemptness of the student’s hair, it was apparent that the student might have been awake the entire night. What the student wanted to mislead me into thinking was that their nocturnal sojourn was spent working on my assignment. However, their Twitter postings undermined their misleading implication. They had been busy, all night in fact. Yet, the student’s busyness did not equal productivity.
My daughters were sent to clean their room. After a few minutes of conversation, my wife and I choose to take a peek at their progress. Both girls were indeed busy, but they were nowhere near productive in accomplishing their task. Moreover, the room was more cluttered than when they began. Both of them were very busy. Neither of them was productive.
Back to the employee that the supervisor lauded for multi-tasking, that employee once issued an email that was met with contention. The emailed information was not unusual nor were the recipients ignorant about what was communicated. The contention was that the same information had previously been shared by a phone conversation. The email had robbed the recipients of their chance to talk. It subverted the relationship they had with the organization. Indirectly, the email implied that the organization did not have time to talk because we were too busy doing other things. What was overlooked was that the vitality of the organization was built upon relationships. When the organization became too busy to sustain those relationships, the productivity of its core people waned. Our busyness impeded our productivity.
I have previously written about the illusion of multi-tasking and busyness can be seen as a variation of the topic. Yet, what makes this issue so pertinent is that I have a student who should apply for a prestigious award. This student is smart, hard working, and involved in many activities. This student all too often relies on talent when better time management would have increased their effectiveness. Imagine a 400-meter runner who has had success trailing the opposition and bursting by other racers in the last 50 meters. Let’s say that same runner has won numerous races with that same strategy. Now as the runner prepares for the Olympics, how should the runner be coached? Should emphasis be made on the fact that advanced competion requires advanced strategies? Should the coach say that training for the Olympics requires an increased level of focus? If I were the coach, I would emphasize a renewed strategy. Just as I am advising my student.
As I think about my talented student, I am afraid that the student’s disillusioned value of being busy will prevent them of crossing the finish line of fulfilled potential. I am afraid for all the student’s busyness, the productivity of exceptional achievement will go unfulfilled. What a waste that would be. It would be a waste, for the student or anyone, to miss on a grand opportunity perfectly fitted for them because they were too busy.
#74) Working On Your Dreams
As sure as the sun rises in the east, my four-year old daughter will don her princess garb first thing every morning. She will place her pajamas on the bed, select one of her princess gowns and a pair of princess slippers. Becoming a princess is a daily ritual for her. The princess dream fills the thoughts of many little girls. They long to be perceived as beautiful and regal. My youngest is not any different. Yet, I wonder how many little girls are as dedicated as she is to beginning each day working on their dreams.
I wish I could say that my company has been overflowing with clients. Building a lucrative business has been a dream of mine. Yet, the struggles of development have been discouraging. Sometimes, the discouragement is so pervasive that I consider abandoning my entrepreneurial dreams. This season of entrepreneurial discouragement has taught me that dreaming and working on one’s dream are two very different endeavors. The difference between dreaming and working on one’s dream is so immense that it reflects the wide chasm between the number of people who say they want to start a business and the number of people who see their business through the stages of planning, development, and eventual prosperity. One variable that contributes to that difference is the consistent commitment successful business owners invest into their company.
While watching my daughter play princess, I recognized that she was more active in working on her dream than I have been. In addition to being consistent with her dreams, she also demonstrates better time management than I do. She manages a small amount of princess time every morning. It appears that when her eight year old sister awakens usually twenty to thirty minutes later, my four year old concludes her princess time and commences to get ready for daycare.
So in addition to being adorable, my four year old is consistent in working on her dream and demonstrates enviable time management skills. Being a princess is an important part of her morning just as pushing my business toward greater affluence is an important part of my future. After witnessing the happiness derived from her consistency toward being a princess, I am convinced that small, yet focused increments of time each day could result in greater happiness in the evolution of my business.
On a lighter note, a more successful business is necessary given the cost of financing the princess dreams of little girls.
#73) Supporting One Who Makes It Worthwhile
Teaching is demanding. It is a physical, mental, and spiritual undertaking that is too often under-compensated and frequently misrepresented as a societal scapegoat. However, the uniting thread that bonds teachers is the desire to make a difference in the lives of their students. Through their personal investment, teachers hope to enrich the lives of those they teach. Teachers know that their instruction will be received in varying degrees from their students, a certainty that does not dissuade their instructional efforts. However, when a teacher is blessed with a student who is receptive, a student who is willing to work beyond expectations, and moreover, a student who applies the concepts they have learned – that one student makes all of their teacher’s sacrifices worthwhile.
Fortunately, I have been blessed to have taught some extraordinary students. In addition to those wonderful experiences and interactions, I have added additional measurements to sift through my nostalgia and rightfully recognize the “golden nugget” students. Two of those additional measurements are 1) would I employ them, and 2) would I want my children to emulate them. When those measurements are added to my memories of students, quite a few shine brilliantly through my nostalgia. One of those remarkable students is Shavia Westmoreland.
Shavia Westmoreland is a junior at Hampton University. Soon, she will begin studying abroad in China. I ask that you read her letter and more importantly consider making a donation to support an exceptional student embarking upon an momentous experience.
Sites of Earth’s precious metals are mirrored in the gold and silver skyscrapers all around me in the Haidian District of Beijing, China. While traveling to class, I also see statues of Buddha in the distance as the Temple of Azure Clouds passes by my window. I contemplate these parallel cultures as I await my bus’s arrival at the Beijing Language and Culture University. I am anxious for my Mandarin instruction to begin, and even more anxious for the upcoming weekend field trip to the Great Wall of China. Patience is quickly found when I remember that I have time, because the next six months of my life will be defined by these new surroundings, customs, and experiences.
I am Shavia Westmoreland, a Junior English major at Hampton University. On June 17, I will embark on a six-month educational experience in Beijing, China, living with two host families and adhering to a Chinese-only language pledge for the duration of my stay. As a recipient of the Department of State Critical Language Scholarship, my summer months (June 16 thru August 18) will be spent at a fully-funded intensive language institute with the Beijing Language and Culture University, consisting of undergraduates, graduate students, and PhD candidates from across the nation. I will remain in Beijing for the fall semester, attending the IES Abroad Contemporary Issues in China Program (August 26 thru December 17). This program includes fifteen credit hours of instruction at the Beijing Foreign Studies University. Mandarin, Chinese literature, environmental challenges, and personal research opportunities are just a few of the educational avenues I will explore. Many of my mentors and friends have jokingly requested that I return home bearing the gift of Chinese language fluency in the form of a chewable tablet. While this may be far out of my reach, an internationally-focused academic degree is not, leading me one-step closer to serving my nation as a diplomat between the United States and China.
On August 23, 2010, I made it my goal to spend the summer and fall of 2011 studying in China. Mission accomplished! That Monday over my summer break, I also vowed that my semester in China would be fully funded. Unfortunately, this has yet to be accomplished. Starting August 26, 2011, I will be required to pay $15,000 to attend IES Abroad. So far, I have raised $3,000 through essay contests, debate competitions, and on-campus employment. As you can see, I have a far way to go. I am asking for your help. Your help in funding my semester abroad so that a trip of this stature will not be tainted by the presence of loans, or even worse, a complete lack of funding.
Chinese language is a focal point of my academic and personal life. I studied Mandarin for three years by way of Enloe High School, Raleigh, North Carolina. During my junior year, I was awarded my first fully funded academic trip to the Jiangsu and Henan provinces of China. As a collegian, I completed intermediate instruction of Mandarin my freshman year, the highest level of Chinese at my university. Now, I dedicate two nights a week and countless weekend hours to teaching and tutoring Chinese at Hampton University as the beginning Mandarin Teacher’s Assistant. Every Friday, I travel to the Citizens Boys and Girls Club of Hampton, VA to teach Chinese language under the Boys and Girls Club Foreign Language Program, in which I serve as program founder and coordinator through the National Modern Foreign Language Honor’s Society. On the weekends, I attend the Tidewater Chinese Saturday School of Norfolk, VA, so I can receive classroom instruction. All of this is done while maintaining a 3.97 GPA with a 20 credit hour load and staying active in Hampton University’s Honors College program.
My six years of dedication to Chinese language study will be enhanced by the academic and cultural immersion my study abroad will provide. Any assistance you can afford will be very helpful. If you are interested, please contact me at viawest1@gmail.com. Monetary support or letters of encouragement are greatly welcomed and can be sent to the following address:
The Powell Foundation
4801 Russell Avenue
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782