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Tiger News
Broadcasting our Tiger’s Roar
April 2015
Free
Don’t Forget the Dream
“Die-ins” are sweeping the nation as form
of protest to support the demonstrations in
Ferguson. Check BC Students’ demonstra>> Pg. 2
tion
Vol. 89, Issue 2
Shadows of Libery
Ask Miss Wise!
Liberty for sale! Can we trust the News knowing a handful of Corporations have taken
over? Shadows of Liberty Film Discussed.
Miss Wise tackles how to deal with having a
roomate.
>> Pg. 4
>> Pg. 3
President Barack Obama Visited Benedict College for Youth Town Hall Event
Rev. Thomas V. Davis, Campus
Minster delivered the program’s
invocation.
James White, SGA President, attended to questions from the audience.
by Leslie Kinard
On March 6th, President Obama
booked a youth rally here at Benedict College. This was the first
time the President has visited the
state of South Carolina, since becoming president.
The Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder accompanied the president during his visit.
Eric Holder, 82nd Attorney
General, accompanied the President during his visit.
Tiana Cox, Senior introduced President Barack
Obama
The rally was to promote youth gave the audience some assurance
leadership and to ensure that the that youth leadership and growth
youth were headed in the right di- in the community matters.
rection.
“We can’t do it for you! You’ve
During his speech, the president got to do it yourself. But we can
touched on a few key points. Af- give you the tools you need,” said
fordable health care, good pay- the President.
ing jobs, lowering student loan
debt, fair and a more just legal Before bringing his speech to a
and criminal justice system; were close, President Obama opened
a few of topics he discussed. He up the floor for questions.
Dr. David H. Swinton, President & CEO of Benedict College gave opening remarks.
Sean Buggs, Benedict
College student sang the
National Anthem.
Congressman James Clyburn,
greeted audience.
Herman Jones, Director of Marching Band of
Distinction, and musicians entertained the audience with jazz before the program.
Brandon Pope, graduating senior
at Benedict, asked the question,
“What are some of your plans to
assist those that are having trouble
paying for school?”
the community for the good.”
President Obama responded by
saying, “Well since I became president, we significantly expanded
the pell grant program with the
help of Jim Clyburn. Youth lives
matter. So take a stand and change
Despite the cold morning, the buzz
on campus was at an all time high
that day. I’m sure that students,
faculty, and staff will remember
the experience for a lifetime.
It was such an amazing honor to
have the president visit Benedict
College.
BC Celebrated its 145th Founder’s Day Convocation and
BC Hosted its 28th Annual Black
Presented the Legacy Award to President David H. Swinton History Teleconference
On March 19, 2015, Benedict
College celebrated its Founder’s
Day Convocation.
This year’s convocation commemorated 145 years of history
since its opening in 1870.
During the Founder’s Day program, it is customary for recent
graduates to share their success
stories with the college. The five
recent graduates included Mr.
Cornelius Cakley, graphic designer, Ms. Claudia Brooks, Principal
of Sandel Elementary School, Dr.
Andre Dyer, Family Medicine
Resident, Mr. Jonathan Weston,
business development executive,
and Rev. Kevin Allen, graduate
student and employee of Virginia
College.
They each delivered inspiring stories that encouraged students to
continue with their hard work and
focus.
In addition to honoring recent
graduates, members of the alumni
association were inducted into the
Half-Century Club. These were
alumni who graduated at least 50
years ago and have led exemplary
lives. Former Half-Century Club
inductess were also honored, dating back to the class of 1948.
Dr. Watts presented the Legacy
Award to Dr. Swinton honoring,
not just 20 years of service, but
a long list of noteworthy accomplishments. The Legacy Award
is the highest honor the college
presents. The award is so distinguished, it is not presented every
year.
Sports trophies from the track
team, basketball and other teams
were also presented to Dr. Swinton during this event.
by China Terrell
These panelists offered great inspiring information and advice
On Wednesday, February 11, to the High School students and
2015, Benedict College hosted BC students in attendance.
its 28th Annual Black History
Just before the event, the high
Teleconference.
school students had a chance to
The events began early that tour the school. They split into
morning in the Chapel with groups and gave tours as we
various events
walked to the
scheduled
Swinton centhroughout the
ter for the live
day.
telecast where
the
Benedict
The main event
College Goswas held in the
pel Choir sang
Swinton Centhe opening seter, and was
lection for the
recorded live.
event.
This year’s panel of distinguished guests included our Mrs. Vareva Harris delivered
very own, Dr. David H. Swin- the greetings and turned the
ton, Mr. James T. McLawhorn, program over to Dr. Bobby
President & CEO of Colum- Donaldson, who served as the
bia Urban League, Ms. Joann moderator.
Hill, Chief of the Office of
Business Development for the After the event, Miss Ty’Lasha
US Department of Commerce Rivers and Mrs. Heidi Kelley
(MBDA), Mrs. Martha Scott hosted a workshop about proSmith, Public Affairs Direc- tecting intellectual property.
tor at AT&T, and Chief Justice This workshop was also open
Jean Hoefer Toal, SC Supreme to the public.
Court.
Inside Tiger News
Campus Abbreviations.................................................... 2
Don’t forget the dream.....................................................2
Shadows of Liberty ........................................................ 2
Language Moves Mountains ............................................ 3
Harambee Festival Highlights ....................................... 3
Benedict College Plays Important Role ............................ 4
Why I Chose to Go to College ....................................... 4
Delta Phi Delta ............................................................. 4
Ask Ms. Wise................................................................. 4
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>>
2 Tiger News | April 2015
Campus Life
Don’t Forget the Dream March
by David Richardson and
Carrington Hardin
Tiger News Staff
Co-Editors in Chief
Carrington Hardin
Ginevra Gaitor
Celebity News Editor
Travis Ware
On Saturday January 31st at
9:30 AM the Psi Nu chapter
of Alpha Phi Omga met with
members of other Greek organizations, students and faculty
members in front of the David
H. Swinton Student Center to
begin a march of awareness.
The march went down Oak
street and around the Benedict-Allen apartments. During the March ABC News was
there and captured faculty
Professor Brooks (professor of
Theater and Life Member of
Alpha Phi Omega since 1972)
and Assistant Dean Hardy
(School of Humanities, Arts
and Social Sciences) march
alongside people of the community.
A touching moment that was
witnessed by Andrew Drayton
President of the Psi Nu Chapter of Aplha Phi Omega was
when he saw people running
out of their homes grabbing
a coat and shouting out “NO
JUSTICE!!! NO PEACE!!!”
The march ended on the front
steps of the Benjamin F. Peyton Library Resource Center at
Benedict College with Professor Brooks sharing some words
of wisdom to the next generation, inviting other schools and
universities for the next march
that’s headed to the Capitol.
ContributorsTiffany Ashford
Keneshia Gillard
Eden June
Leslie Kinard
Jennifer Logan
David Richardson
China Terrell
Daris Thomas
PhotographersShaquille Etheridge
Carrington Hardin
Leslie Kinard
David Richardson
General Staff
Lauren Horne
Sadaaja Marshall
AdvisorK. Easley
Get Involved
Join the Team!
If you’re interested in writing or taking photos for Tiger News, attend
staff meetings and send your articles for consideration to:
easleyK@benedict.edu
Advertise with us!
Contact us at 803-705-4590
Tune in
WBCT 90.9 Fm
The event ended with a diein and a moment of silence
which afterwards was followed
by the students chanting “NO
JUSTICE NO PEACE!!!”
Roaring Hip-hop/R&B
The Don’t Forget “Dream”
March was very entertaining
as well as all inspiring.
The whole purpose of the
Don’t Forget the “Dream”
march was to enlighten
people of what’s going on
around America.
Shadows of Liberty makes Debut at The Tapp’s Center
by Ginevra Gaitor
Shadows of Liberty reveals the extraordinary truth behind the news media: censorship, cover-ups and corporate control.
Filmmaker Jean-Philippe Tremblay takes
an intrepid journey through the darker corridors of the American media landscape,
where global conglomerates call the shots.
For decades, their overwhelming influence
has distorted news journalism and compromised its values.
WOW
We Can’t Believe You haven’t heard of ANIME. Let’s Fix That
Wednesdays and Fridays at 7pm in Starks. BE There!
Campus Abbreviations
In highly revealing stories, renowned journalists, activists and academics give insider
accounts of a broken media system. Controversial news reports are suppressed, people
are censored for speaking out, and lives are
shattered as the arena for public expression
is turned into a private profit zone.
Tracing the story of media manipulation
through the years, Shadows of Liberty poses a crucial question: why have we let a handful of powerful corporations write the news?
Carrington Hardin and I were on the Post film discussion panel along with Panelists Bill Rogers,
Executive Director of the South Carolina Press
Association, Candace Chellew-Hodge a reporter,
anchor, writer and editor formerly with WGST Radio, WAGA-TV and CNN, Ernest L. Wiggins, an
associate professor in the School of Journalism and
Mass Communications at the University of South
Carolina, and a former reporter and urban affairs
editor at The State, and Frank W. Baker, a media
literacy education consultant, and former broadcast
journalist and educational TV specialist provided
thought provoking and insightful commentary
throughout the post film panel discussion, which
was moderated by South Carolina Progressive Network Director, Brett Bursey.
A huge thanks goes to Becci Robbins and Jaime
Jenkinson for putting so much work into organizing
the event, and to the sponsoring organizations - the
South Carolina Progressive Network, Tapp’s Arts
Center and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation
of Columbia.
The film excelled in its goal which was to get us to
think more critically about how our news is delivered
to us. With more and more corporations owning the
companies where we recieve our news,
Carrington and I were excited to represent Benedict
College at this event. Benedict students are known for
their participation in Social change and Communtiy
Leadership. Our Student Body are well versed in Politics and News.
We live in an age where it is easy to share news and
headlines and stay abreast of Social, and National
Events. It is up to us to show the world our school’s
positivity.
ABROAD
Study Abroad Locations
AGENCY
Social Work Agencies (Field Instruction)
ALUAlumni Hall
ARENA
Mays Human Resources Center Arena (Gym)
BDC
Business Development Center
BHBacoats Hall
BROADC
Broadcast Center
DHDuckett Hall
FAH
Fine Arts Humanities Center
FITNES
Wellness Center (Oak and Taylor Streets)
FLLAB
Foreign Language Lab (BC CARES)
HON
School of Honors House (Oak St. Dorm)
HRC
Henry Mays Human Resources Center
LAM
Lamar Building
LRC
Learning Resources Center (Library)
LRC-POA
Learning Resources Center Post Office Room A (Lower level of Library)
LRC-POB
Learning Resources Center Post Office Room B (Lower level of Library)
LRC-POC
Learning Resources Center Post Office Room C (Lower level of Library)
MACLAB
MacIntosh Laboratory (Fine Arts)
OIP
Office of International Programs
ROTC
ROTC Building (Laurel Street)
STACS
Starks Computer Lab (Lower Level – Right)
STA-I
Starks Hall Interactive Classroom
STA-L
Starks Hall Lecture Classroom
STUDIO
Dance Studio (Third Floor, HRC)
TBA
To Be Announced
THEATR
Fine Arts/Humanities Center Little Theater
USC
University of South Carolina (Obtain details from ROTC Office)
Campus Life & Arts
Editors’ Letter
I will probably keep saying this but friends, this has
got to be the biggest Issue ever! The President of the
United States, Barack Obama visited Benedict College
on his Youth Rally Tour!
Harrambee tied up a great Black History Month, so
of course, we had to cover it extensively! This has been
just the most amazing month for me as a Journalist.
I am very thankful to be an Editor for this amazing
semester.
~ Co-Editor in Chief, Ginevra Gaitor
ginevramgaitor@gmail.com
TIGERS, the past couple of months have been exciting and fun filled from Harambee to working with the
Press Coordinator of the White House!
With the end of the year and graduation coming up, I’d
like to say “GOOD LUCK WITH SENIOR PAPERS
AND DEFENSES!
~ Co-Editor in Chief, Carrington Hardin
carringtonhardin@yahoo.com
April 2015| Tiger News 3
Language Moves Mountains
by Jennifer Logan, Learn- changed. He wept until he could
ing, Learning Specialist / Writing not speak.
Lab
In his grief and silence, God unWorlds died, magnificent crea- derstood that Men needed his
tures were no more, and shape- life-giving instrument to resurrect
less, gigantic bodies traveled aim- life and hope when evil bore its
lessly in space. God stood at the presence into their lives. He had a
threshold of a new beginning. He plan to guarantee man’s success in
had never intended for his favor- a fallible world. When tomorrow
ite planetary sphere to be devoid came, he blew his breath into the
nostrils of the first man and womof peace, beauty, and justice.
an. He then spoke to and stimuFor centuries, he perceived the in- lated their hearts with his pain as
audible murmurs of the neighbor- tears fell from their eyes. Finally,
ing sphere, possessing qualities of he developed their larynx, vocal
evil, temporarily victorious and cords, and windpipes to form their
good, eternally the greater and internal messenger – their voices.
forever bound to him as all that is On their first day of living, these
good and pure.
first beings felt God’s heart and
soul and spoke their first words in
Tomorrow marked the first week response to their Creator’s heartof creation. Time was not to be break. Most importantly, they
rushed, destiny was not to be com- lived because God had spoken.
promised, and perfection was not
to be undone by unbridled imagi- For centuries to come, men and
nation or careless visions.
women lived throughout the Earth
and experienced times wroth with
As he traveled over the land’s evil, willful deeds. Instinctively,
surface, his soul and heart rever- they lifted up their voices, caused
berated with discordant sounds. the righteous to move by faith,
The roar of whips riddled with and moved the mountains.
glass and metal, the warped utterances of guiltless nails as they BC Tigers, language does move
struck bone and wood, the tri- mountains because we are made
umphant death cry that pierced in His Image. We have mountains
the universe, the roar of boats on to move, learn to write the vision
continents of earthly paradises, and proclaim it so that will transthe shrill cries among chains, the form injustice into social reform
stampede of buffaloes followed and mourning into triumph.
by silence, the chanted prayers
of disenfranchised brethren, the BC Tigers recall the words of the
fired ammunition of the first canon following world changers and deand rifle, the atomic blast of the cide to use your words and written
first radioactive weapon, the foot- works for good as they did.
falls of those guilty of committing
assassinations of righteous men, I refuse to accept the view that
women, and children, the collapse mankind is so tragically bound
of buildings brought down by en- to the starless midnight of racism
emies embraced as friends, the and war that the bright daybreak
screams of women self-engulfed of peace and brotherhood can nevin flames because their silence er become a reality... I believe that
and abuse became too much to unarmed truth and unconditional
bear, and all the proceeding sea- love will have the final word.
sons of sadness overwhelmed his
- MLK Jr., Civil Rights Leader
heart and his soul.
and Nobel Prize Laureate in 1964
God knew that the ugly, hateful, and senseless could not be I didn’t want my future to be im-
prisoned in my four walls and just
cooking and giving birth.”
- Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist for female education and the
youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate in 2014.
Cautious, careful people, always
casting about to preserve their
reputation and social standing,
never can bring about a reform.
Those who are really in earnest
must be willing to be anything or
nothing in the world’s estimation,
and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathy with despised and persecuted
ideas and their advocates, and
bear the consequences.
- Susan B. Anthony, writer for
the 19th century women’s rights
movement in the United States
“You’re perfect just the way you
are. I was bullied too … and called
all kinds of names. And now I’m a
big TV star.”
-Laverne Cox, Actress & activist,
the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an acting
Emmy and the first openly transgender person to appear on the
cover of Time magazine
“We declare our right on this
earth...to be a human being, to be
respected as a human being, to be
given the rights of a human being
in this society, on this earth, in this
day, which we intend to bring into
existence by any means necessary.”
- Malcom X, Civil Rights activist,
He replied, “If you have faith as
small as a mustard seed, you can
say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and
it will obey you.
- Jehovah Yaweh, Luke 17:6, the
God of the Christian faith, who
taught his people how to do overcome the impossible for the good
of all.
Harambee 2015 Festival Highlights
By Keneshia Gillard
Tiger News
Editors-in-Chief
Ginevra Gaitor,
Senior, Mass Comm major
Carrington Hardin,
Senior, Mass Comm major
Saturday morning, February 28,
was filled with food, fun, family,
culture, and tradition.
There were vendors who sold cultured jewelry, others who sold purses, books, and luck charms. Jewelry
business Silver and Art designer
company YMAK were there serving customers. The company has
been selling at Harambee for over
twenty years.
Students enjoyed having the opportunity to browse the different
vendors to purchase memorable
items, to stroll around and taste the
food and to see all of the entertaining performances.
Fraternities and sororities such as
Delta Sigma Theta and Phi Beta
Sigma Beta Club Fraternity came
to represent and enjoy their time.
Wanda Barr, a member of the Beta
Club, said it was her first time ever
attending the festival and looked
forward to having a good time.
Dorian Balley, Junior and Political
Science major, who also helped out
with Beta Club, has participated in
Harambee since his freshman year.
He said, “Harambee is one of the
main events where faculty and stu- nity performed with a lovely choir
dents come together with the com- and performed “You Got Me Going
munity.”
in Circles” by Luther Vandross. Let
just say that he is a saxophone
The annual cake auction was an ex- me
whisperer
and an expert at playing
citing highlight of the day. The first that instrument!
On one particular
cake was a red velvet cake that was song, he held a sharp
note nonstop
sold at $21. The second cake was a for at least two minutes!
Talk about
petty paw mount cake was sold at incredible lungs.
$21 also. The winning cake sold for
$35! My… that cake must be really New Life productions presented a
special and scrumptious!
skit about Martin Luther King Jr.
Arnold Andrade, another Junior, and Malcolm X.
has been participating in the festi- Malqueen Richardson, Director
val since 2012. He described the of Communities and Chair of the
festival as a time to “bring culture Greetings Committee was enthuand our roots together.” His most siastic about the vendors, jewelry,
enjoyable moment of Harambee books, different foods, and perforwas the face painting activity with mances. She has worked with Hathe kids in the Children’s Village.
rambee for more than 15 years and
most enjoyable moment came
Tonisha Roberts, Senior, and Crim- her
when
she heard some of the old
inal Justice major, said for her, “Ha- spirituals
from the 60s and 70s.
rambee is about celebrating heritage
at an HBCU in the African Ameri- It was a definitely a fun-filled day
can community.”
with lots of excitement, the kind
only experience once a year. It
Student organizations such as Print you
is
an
event that has something for
Media and members of the cheer- everyone
enjoy whether it be the
leading team were there represent- food, the toclothes,
the rare cultural
ing as well.
art, the T-shirts, the hair products,
Dewayne Johnson who teaches the music, the skits or the face
music for students in the commu- painting in the Children’s Village.
4 Tiger News | April 2015
Campus Life & Opinions
Benedict College Plays an Important Role in
Delta Phi Delta
Producing Graduates with IT Skills
Web design, Internet marketing, business
programming, and accounting informaBeing the CoursePower Ambassador for tion systems, I feel very confident about
Benedict College has been a blessing for acquiring a job in the IT industry, in both
me not only to express my interest and the public and private sectors.
excitement in learning and mastering
information technology (IT) skills for The seriousness of teaching and emphatoday’s workforce, but also to be able to sizing the importance of IT skills is a big
share and pass on that interest to other challenge that I have as the CoursePower
students as well. IT is more than just web Ambassador.
design; it is a way of life for everyone,
ranging from recent college graduates One of my goals is to have the profesto senior citizens to senior level officials sors in each of the various academic dein the public and private sector. We at partments on campus (i.e. the School of
Benedict College have a very significant HASS, the School of Business & Ecoimportance to producing the next gen- nomics, the School of STEM, the School
eration of African American leaders, and of Education & Social Work, and the
by equipping them with the IT skills School of Continuing Education) stress
necessary for today’s workforce, we are the importance of learning, acquiring,
able to produce competitive job appli- and mastering IT skills in each of their
cants and future CEOs of Fortune 500 classes. The implied intent is that by emcompanies and even government officials phasizing its importance from their own
academic discipline’s point of view, it will
in public office.
help each student
IT can be applied to any field of study to understand the
of
and it can also serve as a backup plan importance
to help support you while you are look- why IT skills are
ing and applying for that dream job and a necessity in tocareer. Take me for instance: I am a po- day’s workforce.
litical science major. My dream job is to
be a federal appeals judge. Taking into Daris M. Thomas,
account that I will be in school (gradu- C o u r s e p o w e r
ate school and law school) for a while (4 Ambassador for
years). So a part-time job in IT will allow Benedict College
me to financially support myself while I
attend school, and after taking courses in
by Daris M. Thomas
by David
Richardson
You don’t dance if you haven’t heard of
Delta Phi Delta National Dance Fraternity.
Delta Phi Delta National Dance Fraternity
was founded January 18, 2000 in Chicago,
Illinois, where it was thriving very well.
Terrance M Johnson, founder and Benedict
Alumni, is the one who founded the chapter
here at Benedict.
When he founded the chapter here at Benedict that set the stage for more southern
Delta Phi Delta chapters to come. The
chapter here at Benedict was the first Delta
Phi Delta Chapter to be started in the south.
Delta Phi Delta sets the stage for people
to utilize their talents through dance. The
organization lives through talent and passion, and they live by the saying, “Dance is
a door to the soul and my movements are
the key.”
Yearly Delta Phi Delta members host many
events, around campus as well as abroad.
They are participants in the Adopt the
Highway Program in SC. They also perform yearly at the Benedict BET Awards.
Delta Phi Delta is really an awesome organization and I would recommend it to anybody to join.
Ask Ms. Wise!
Dear Ms. Wise,
I never had to share my room or a bathroom.
I honestly dont want a roomate or even see the
purpose of having one. I don’t want to have
someone in my space. I’m a loner; I really like
to be by my self and not really bothered. I mean
I’ve had sleep overs before but they were with
my best friends and they never stayed too long.
I’m scared to have a roomate. What if I don’t
like him/her? What if we dont get along? Let’s
be real, what if s/he’s a thief? I cant handle this!
D
from Loner
Dear Ms. Loner,
Having a roomate isn’t bad! Yea, its scary I
was once there too. If you’re scared about
your things being stolen get a lock on things.
You’re right, having your personal items stolen is not fun and is a pain to go through
and the trust would never be reesablished.
It’s ok to be a loner, you don’t have to be
his/her best friend, you just have to make
sure you respect each other. Set rules for
each other. Communicate, let each other
know your likes and dislikes. This idea creates peace. I know you say you never had to
share anything and that’s fine. Why should
you have to? S/he may have his/her own personal belongings. Having a roomate isn’t a
bad thing! Don’t think so negatively about
it. What if you do like him/her? What if s/
he is nice? Don’t prejudge, because you don’t
know. Give it a shot!
from Ms. Wise
Why I Chose to go to College
by Tiffany Ashford
As a child my goal in life was to go to
college and be the first of my mother’s
three children to go and graduate. As I
grew up and got older especially in my
high school years I felt like the goal was
nothing more than a dream that was unattainable. I felt like nothing more than
a statistic. Going to college was always
important to me because I knew that I
wanted a better chance in life, to have
more opportunities then the ones I was
granted. As a high school student you
may feel like going to college isn’t worth
the struggle. My struggle to get to college
was long and hard but it helped me to
make my college experience and future
the best it can be.
Anyone who knew me when I was sixteen years old would’ve never thought
that I would be in college. In my ninth
grade year of high school I was a lost soul
trying to find myself and my place in life.
Always hanging out with all the wrong
people and did all the wrong things.
Smoking, drinking, and partying were
my main goals.
I hardly ever went to class and when I did
I skipped half of the day. My first year in
high school and half way through I was
kicked out and I had to go to Blythewood
Academy, an alternative school. When I
was finally let back in high school the
next year, I had gained a reputation as
a bad girl. My mother had lost all hope
in me and I had also lost hope in myself.
At seventeen I decided to drop out of
high school and go to job corps instead
(a place that helps you obtain a G.E.D.
and or a trade).
The Job Corp that I went to was in Kittrell, North Carolina my brother met
me halfway at the bus station on one of
my stops. He looked me in the face and
told me “You are throwing your life away
and you won’t be able to go to college or
get a good job.” The statement he made
hurt me to my core and from that moment on I decided to prove him wrong.
After graduating from Kittrell Job Corp
Center with a G.E.D and Medical Office
Administrative Assistant Certification I
moved to Georgia with my older brother
to begin my new life. I worked and held
a full time job for almost a year with still
no rush to go to college.
Finally, I decided to go to Savannah Technical College in Georgia for a semester
just to get me started in the right track
and while working a full time job. I had
never had the opportunity to buy my own
things and pay bills without asking people for money. Having my own job made
me feel independent. Whenever my job
would call I would always come in and
work, even if I had homework or knew I
needed to study.
There wasn’t any balance in my life between work and school. I finally ended up
failing out of school because I took my
job more serious than school. Failing out
of school was a breaking point in my life;
I started to think more about what I was
going to do with the next few years and
knew I had to take some type of action.
When my brother finally got the call from
the military that he was being transferred
to Japan for work. I knew it was time
to get myself together once and for all.
Working a minimum wage job would not
satisfy my needs in life and I didn’t have
the proper tools to make it on my own in
the world. I knew that my mother was
getting older and I wanted to make my
goal of being the first of my brother and
sister to graduate a reality, I wanted her
to see me do this. Going back home to
live with my mother again was not an option because I felt like I would be going
backwards. I decided that I wanted to go
back to school, but I was scared because
I had done poorly at Savannah Technical
College. I needed to go to a school that
allowed me to live on campus and had the
right major for me.
After dealing with getting into school, I
still had a lot of things to deal with before
coming to school. I had to get my license
before school started so I could bring my
car on campus.
My brother could only take me driving
on the weekends, because he worked all
week and would be tried. Two days before school started I went to take the test,
I knew if I didn’t pass it that day I would
have to go to school without my car, because you have to wait at least two weeks
before you can take the test again. After
taking the test and passing I had to start
I decided to apply to Benedict College in looking for car insurance.
Columbia, SC. I had no money whatsoever after losing my job so my dad had The same day I found car insurance for
to pay the money for the application fee, sixty dollars a month, I had to borrow
housing and the admission fee. With me half of the down payment. When the day
living in Georgia and my mother living for school finally arrived I had no extra
in South Carolina it was hard to get in money, my sister-in-law had to give me
contact with her just to fill out the finan- some money to keep in my pocket just for
cial aid, but it was after sometime accom- emergencies. After a long ride to South
Carolina and even longer orientation I
plished.
made had now became an official student
After finding out the price of tuition, I of Benedict College. I had now completknew that it would be hard for me to find ed everything I need to get to school. I
scholarships because I had a G.E.D and was ready to start my new journey.
didn’t do well my first semester of college at Savannah Technical College. My Coming to school not having a lot of
next option was to take out a loan. After family to help you is hard, having to
getting denied for the Direct Parent plus come to college older than most students
Loan I had almost lost all faith in going starting out as a freshmen isn’t easy. As a
to college. When my brother found out high school student trials and tribulations
the price of tuition for Benedict College should not stop you from going to college
he tried to encourage me to look at oth- but make your testimony of how you got
er options, but I knew Benedict was the there even better.
school I wanted to go to. After several
times of calling Benedict’s
financial aid I will complete a goal that at one point
211216A01
office Benedict gave me enough money to felt like a distant dream. My journey in
pay for school with only a short amount college will not be easy but I am willing to
take the risk to push myself farther in life.
I would have to pay on a payment plan.
BC Print Media wants you!
Tiger News and Benedictus Yearbook Magazine are Benedict College’s student publications and we want you to contribute.
All Students from every major are invited to join the staff. We
are looking for students who are looking for an opportunity to add
publishing credits to their professional portfolios.
We need students who are willing to attend campus events, write
articles, take photographs and assist with other areas of production.
Build your professional portfolio and have fun at the same time!
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W I T H A S T R O K E , T I M E L O S T I S B R A I N L O S T.
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