Texas Voices: Redefining success: building an inclusive American education system
“Imagine how incredible this life would be if we added value to every life that we touch.” ~ Chy Davidson
I have written this article at least a hundred times over. I have avoided emails from my editor warning me of deadlines approaching and passing me by, all because I wanted to evade a destiny that has already claimed me as one in an incalculable few. Writing one’s truth and sharing it with an unknown, immeasurable audience can be a very scary task to fulfill. Using one’s story in hopes of moving a nation forward and fearing the consequences of collective unpreparedness can be an immobilizing fear to contend with. But when I look into the “dancing eyes” of my son; when I see the same in the friends he’s made along the way – I realize that my love for them and their futures far outweighs the greatest depths of my fears.
In the year, 2013, I experienced something only the “top 1%” of minds within the United States get to experience across secondary and postsecondary schools. I was announced as the most academically successful student in my graduating class at the University of Mount Olive, a small, private campus located in Eastern North Carolina. One hundred and sixty-six credit hours and a perfect 4.0 GPA is what was shared about me in an arena full of my peers, our families, and our instructors. I was given a trophy and took photos with the most influential leaders of the campus. That day, I was so overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers who recognized me as the unannounced historic first person of African American descent to achieve this accolade. Fascinated news reporters bum rushed me and my parents wanting to know the story behind this American education. I was a “rarity” being seen in ways I had never been seen before. And then, two weeks later, I was rewarded once again by the campus with a check addressed to me and the words “Congratulations” written in blue, cursive ink.
