A Full Day 1 . . .
Judging by the time I awoke this morning (6:20 a.m. exactly) it would be hard to tell that I was on my senior year Spring Break. However, there are absolutely no complaints on my part. Thus far this trip has been more rewarding and enriching than any beach resort could ever be. Today we journeyed from Southern Arkansas University at Magnolia to Stephens, Arkansas, approximately 30 miles away and visited Stephens High School. Upon arriving, we were graciously greeted by Principal Wyndell, a two-time graduate of SAU and Stephens native. When I first saw the school, I took it to be a church. And no, not one of these new-age mega infrastructures with flat screens, theatrical lighting, and plush seating that reminds you of a movie theater (nothing against mega churches, I actually attend one myself). Rather, the church you grew up in. The one where they actually had Sunday School every Sunday and being a member of the Usher (or ur-sher) board was a big deal (nothing against these churches either, for they are my roots). Not to digress, the physical building which was as older than my grandparents, was an outward indicator of the underfunding this school received. To give you somewhat of an understanding of how underfunded Stephens High School is (7th-12th grade), Principal Wyndell told Professor Smith that “your (personal) library is bigger than our (school) library”. This was no gross exaggeration. In actuality, my elementary school library was bigger than this high school’s library. Another important challenge that this community faces, is unemployment. It’s one thing to read the statistics of unemployment in the comfort of academic lecture halls at a college/university. Yet, it is totally different when you physically see a town of 1500 people only offer three avenues of occupation: the school system, grocery stores, or gas stations. No Walmart. No McDonald’s. No factories. Nothing.
However, in amidst all of these daunting realties there were rays of hope. In particular the students. These students (which are the reason we traveled fifteen hours) were some of the brightest, most joyful, and resilient group of young people I have ever met. Some of these students have and continue to overcome obstacles that have “side-lined” many individuals in life. Including the death of parents/guardians, raising children, and much more. Yet, they still dream. Big dreams. After meeting the students at the high school, we traveled with them back to SAU (Magnolia) to sit in on a college lecture and then join them for lunch. I pray that something I and my peers said today could have assisted a least one of these young people because they certainly left an imprint on me. Our day ended with a formal dinner with President Rankin (SAU), Dr. Kathleen Mallory, and other SAU faculty and staff. Day 1 was full.
Until next time . . .,
Keon
P.S.
My day was truly enriched today to talk with a couple of the most influential male mentors in my life: my dad, Mr. Derrick Howard and my youth pastor, Pastor Jayson Sloan. Both shared words of love, encouragement, and insight. Big ups to these awesome men!