Tommy Wise Interview Essay

I had the opportunity to sit down with current UVI student Tommy Wise. Tommy is a 17 year old hospitality and tourism major whom I attended high school with. During the interview we had a long discussion on his heritage, and hobbies. According to Wise most of his family heritage is unknown to him. This is due to the fact that aside from his father he had no other family members from his father’s living in the Virgin Islands and his father never talked about his family before he passed away. When Wise was about seven years old his father had passed away and his world changed. He went from living with his father, a white man from Oklahoma, to moving in with mother, an African American woman who is from the Virgin Islands. Wise says the change was very hard. He says that living with his mother where she lived was living was difficult. After his father’s death, Wise moved in with his mother in Oswald Harris Court more commonly known as housing. Wise says he was teased a lot when he moved there. “They would call me things like white cheese and Oreo, It was hard because I couldn’t control my parent’s color but I was still picked on for it.” Says Wise. On top of the name calling he also had to grow up without a father and although he loves his mom “there is only so
much a mom can do” Wise says. Yet aside from these Tribulations Wise was still able to persevere through his hardships and make the best of his situation. One way that Wise would occupy his time was through a computer game known as Chess Titans.
He would play on it for hours at a time always trying to beat the computer. He would play it on a difficulty of 10. He loved the game but hated losing and on that difficulty he would lose often. In third grade Wise decided to join his school’s Chess club in order to hone his skills. “When I got in there I was already better than everyone else. I already had a concept of chess and how to checkmate and move so playing against the other students in the club was easy.” Says Wise. He moved quickly through the ranks and became co-captain of the team. He competed in many tournaments winning the regional championship
twice!
He also competed in a tournament known as the Chess Open. “This competition was way different” He said. ”There were old men competing against us.” In this tournament each person gets 12 hours to play. It takes concentration and perseverance to do that and he was in six grade. To get that kind of focus from an 11 year old is not easy, but Wise was up to the challenge. In the competition in order to win 3 members have to win at least three games each. Wise had won four out of his five games. His skills are undeniable and he definitely earned his position as a chess champion. After the completion Wise went back to Chess Titans and beat the computer on a 12 difficulty. He said that the 10 difficulty was now too easy for him. “Sometimes you have to lose in order to win, however it’s not always that black and white. In most cases losing is easy, but it’s what you decide to do about losing that determines if you will ever win.” He says.
After this interview I learned that Wise’s last name isn’t just for show. He really does know more than his age would let on. His patience and temperament are what allow him to succeed so often in life. He is always willing to try again and persevere to get better. Through bullying and loss he never lost his will to push forward. These qualities are not only necessary for chess but for life as well. If he is able to continue with the attitude he has Mr. Wise can successfully checkmate any board that he plays on in life.