Eagle’s Nest commencement speech, June 19, 2011

Morehouse College Commencement 2011

I LOVE MY LIFE. After all of the things that I have endured, the last three years have really been a relief. It has been full of excitement, and to top it off I can be mentioned in the same sentence as Spike Lee and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as graduates of Morehouse College. My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has opened the doors for my friends and I to fly, and we have been blessed.

After completing my freshman year at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona I decided to transfer because my dream, since my youth, was to attend Morehouse or UCLA. In the fall of 2008 I embarked on a journey to attend Morehouse College which demanded that I go on a faith walk to get there; I had less than half of the money to attend school, but I refused to stay in LA and I put my whole mission in God’s hands. After a month on campus, I was rewarded with the Coca Cola scholarship and a couple of private loans that allowed for me to matriculate and to become the first college graduate in my family.

Attending a prestigious institution to attain a higher education was the ultimate challenge for me. It took time, dedication, and persistence to achieve this academic foundation. My God given dogged determination to succeed empowered me to overcome my dysfunctional and marginalized background.

Therefore, I would like to say thank you to my mother, Gayle Johnson. Together we have experienced many trials and tribulations that have presented many challenges. I know that you have been challenged with my rebellion, expulsion from schools, and my father rejecting raising me. In spite of it all we made it. Many hardships could have led to the demise of our relationship, but as the first of the four spiritual laws state, God loves me and offers a wonderful plan for my life.

My life has moved from the ordinary to one that aspires to a life of substance. Therefore I am now determined to shape my identity by denouncing mischievousness, intemperance, and anger, by embracing servitude, responsibility, and accountability. Does my past mean nothing? No. It means that I will allow God to exalt me through the wisdom that God has enabled me to learn from my past.

Now I’m on a journey that God has solely mapped out for me, which is to be a role model for those who are traveling down the same path that I was blessed to escape. This expedition is a ride that I have loved since August 23rd 2007, the day I rededicated my life back to Christ, and it continues to get better. Even when life’s pressures peak, I know that God will not allow for me to be shaken. My intestinal fortitude is founded in Philippians 4:13; I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me! Thus, when life has its sharp edges and thorns, just remember to always *Pray Hard, Pray Tough, and Pray Strong*