Once we were on the road I did my best to make sure my new
Once we were on the road I did my best to make sure my new
In 2008 I moved to Bluffton to help start a new aluminum remelt facility called Alexin. I was one of three invited to make the move from western Kentucky by the presidents of Alexin because of my knowledge of the industry, my reputation as a hard worker, and my positive attitude. In the past nine years a lot has changed. Even though I know longer work in the aluminum industry, I still pride myself on my knowledge, reputation, and attitude. The job has changed, but what it takes to be successfully in any occupation has not.…
Over the past summer I had the opportunity to go to Deep Impact in Shelby, North Carolina. Deep Impact is a mission camp that is run by The Baptist Men that gathers youth groups throughout the state to help the needy and to spread the Word of Jesus. There were different mission teams at the camp and I was placed on a construction team. On my construction team, we helped elderly and disabled people by building wheelchair ramps for them.The construction team had three supervisors, and they made the kids on the team do most of the work. We would do different kinds of work like digging out holes for posts, saw boarding, or screwing in decking boards. I really enjoyed this kind of work and it really made me feel good that when we finished, we were…
Before I moved to NC , I lived out west. The demographic and food delicacies are far different than here in the south. My taste aversion was fully loaded hot dog with chili and slaw. I never heard of that type of combination on a hot dog. I was raised eating a hot dog with just ketchup, mustard, relish and sometimes onions. I have lived in NC for about 23 years. I finally tried eating a hot dog Carolina style and love it. Since I have gluten allergy, I skip the bun and still eat it that way.…
While many people would probably choose to travel to another country, a foreign universe, or something even more extraordinary, there is no place I would rather go than Pawnee, Indiana, despite the fact that it doesn’t really exist. Having been a fan of the television show Parks and Recreation for quite some time now, I can confidently say that Pawnee would be the most exciting place one could go.…
Yesterday me and my Dad went on an 11ish mile hike on the Appalachian Trail. This hike was probably one of the coolest hikes I've been on. It went from one beautiful landscape to another. As I was laying in bed that night with my muscles aching from the extra 1.5 miles we didn't plan on, I realized I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my Dad. He introduced me to my love of the outdoors and my passion to hike the entire AT. I hope one day ,Dad, we can stand on Mount Katahdin together and look back at the 2190 miles behind…
In 1752 I was a seventeen year old destitute living in Scotland, Ireland. I had no real skill-trade or education, but with high ambitions to learn and become a collective dependant I would earn a stable lively-hood in one of the New World colonies. I suffered losses of loved who fell sick and died with only a few remaining that were as impoverished as myself. I feared there would be no prospect of a better life in Scotland and contracted myself as an indentured servant for passage to the New World colonies. Along with many others I boarded a New World merchant ship that specialized in the trade of textiles and clothing. In exchange for travel, food, and decent health, I was sold for profit to proprietors in the New World. The voyage to New…
My rite of passage was coming to Randolph-Macon. As I arrived at Randolph-Macon College on September 1st to begin my freshman year of college, I could not do anything but shake from being so nervous. My parents kept telling me that everything would come together and I would fit right in. I had never felt so out of place. Coming from a small private school, with a graduating class of 30, I could not bear to meet a freshman class that was as bigger than my hometown or my k-12 school. It was like I was a nightmare and no matter how many times I pinched myself, I could not wake up. I was trapped here without any friends or a vehicle to escape.…
A day in Memphis is not complete without the diversity in our community. As a second generation Memphian who has primarily lived in Midtown, I had the privilege of watching several different cultures in one place and especially now that I attended one of the largest public schools. Daily, I experience someone else’s world. The people I get to meet and see are from various backgrounds: race, religion, ethnicity, etc. that I may never comprehend, which is wonderful. In Memphis, it is normal to be an enigma, to have idiosyncrasies. I believe that is the heart of Memphis. What makes this heart surpass discrimination is the acceptance that follows years of diversity. My neighborhood has single mothers whose children play with the neighborhood adolescents.…
My Carolina story is one of perseverance. I grew up in a prominently white and underrepresented area, being a multicultural male it was very hard to fit in. However, with the backing of family and friends I was able to overcome many of the obstacles that plagued my area. Through hard work and dedication, I believe that anything is possible. It can be said that as long as you believe in yourself nothing is out of reach. For me this was the key to my success, however, upon applying to UNC-CH I was waitlisted. This greatly hurt my confidence as I felt as if I wasn't smart enough, but to my surprise I made it off the waiting list and enrolled in UNC. Nevertheless, the effects of being waitlisted lingered over me a long period of time. I found myself contemplating whether I was smart enough to attend such a prestigious university. Although soon enough I began to get involved on campus and through this I realized UNC was the best place for me and that no matter what I could make it at a esteemed university. The diversity that UNC offers was a vital key in helping to understand my place, I heard that "diversity creates identity" and this has been one of the strongest statements I have ever heard. My Carolina story is one of struggle and perseverance to fit in, yet, with hope and hard work you can accomplish anything.…
It was an extremely cool day in the Poconos Mountains, and we had made a reservation to go white water rafting. The next morning we had to wake up extra early to eat breakfast so we weren’t late for our trip. When my parents said, “were going white water rafting” I thought we were going straight down to the river , but of course it wasn’t.…
I came to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in the fall. I suffered from depression my junior and senior year of high school. I was never officially diagnosed, because I lied to every therapist my mother sent me to. I could not be honest with anyone but myself at the time. However, I thought things would be different when I came to college. I thought I would be able to open up to people again, but I never anticipated that I would get worse. I thought college would cure me, for some reason. Ironically, I got even worse my first semester in college. My previous burdens added on to the pressure of getting good grades, being involved on campus, and trying to make friends. It was all too much for me. It also didn't help…
There is no doubt that South Carolina is one of the few states making progress down south but to fulfill my wants/needs I needed to move here to New York. After months of contemplating I realized that for a chance to be treated as everyone else that I would need to make this change, I needed the money that work would bring, a chance to showcase my talents and living conditions near the plantation were harsh and unfair. I feel that this was the best decision to make at this point in time. Times are changing and we deserve to be, act and live better.…
The day of September 1, I missed class to be with my family in Memphis. My mom wanted everyone in our immediate family to gather together because my brother was leaving for the army. It was such an exciting week because I haven’t been home to see them in about year prior. My brother has recently graduated from high school and also turned 18. I am beyond proud of the person he has become, so to see him all grown up making the decision to leave home brought tears to my eyes.…
We finally moved to North Carolina and I was devastated. I felt like I had to leave behind all of the friends I had just started formulating deeper bonds with. I felt like I had to start over from scratch with making friends and I missed Khalif; and finding out that he contacted me the night before we moved and I missed his call, didn't make things any easier. I never told him I was moving when I found out. I figured since we wasn’t together anymore, why bother. He found out my last day of school because my best friend and I were crying, and another student went back and told him. He approached me before the day was over, and wanted to know why I didn’t tell him I was moving. After we talked, he gave me a hug. I didn’t expect him to try to contact me that night. I didn’t find out he had called until my family and I were well in NC and I checked the caller ID box.…
Petersburg, West Virginia is a small town in the eastern panhandle with one stoplight and where everybody has some type of connection or recognition to everybody. I travel to this area at least three times annually for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and Independence Day. Petersburg is not a vacation spot my parents, sister, and I go to on the holidays, it is where my grandparents reside in their beautiful two story brick home they built. I have always enjoyed visiting my grandparents and the time spent together is special. The time spent with my grandma has been particularly special this past year. In September of 2014, my grandma, who I call Grammy, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer after having a biopsy. Her journey so far has taught me to cherish the memories made and time spent with family.…