Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / May 8, 1997, edition 1 / Page 14
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m http://www.thepost.mindspring.com tKIje CJjarlotte THURSDAY, MAYS, 1997 14A UMOJA WORD AROUND CAMP High schools • A q u i 1 a Sh a m sid - Deen, a senior at Harding High School, is among 51 national win ners of $4,000 scholarships awarded by the Coca-Cola Shamsid-Deen Scholars Foundation. Colleges •Leslie M. Moore of Charlotte has been elected the president of the Neo- Black Society at UNC Greensboro. Moore, a junior accounting Moore major, is the daughter of Martha R. Moore of Bridlewood Lane. • S a k i r a Peay has been elected vice-nresident of Reach Out, a student community service orga nization at Davidson College. Peay is the daugh- Peay •Xavier Wise was recently named winner of the Lakewood Community Academic Scholarship awarded by Circle No. 3 of Myers Park Baptist Church. Wise is a sophomore at Elizabeth City State University and grandson of Lula Wise. ‘Daughters at work’ prepare new generation By April Bethea FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST It’s not every day that young girls across the country can spend time with adult women learning the aspects of their day- to-day lives at work. It’s not everyday that women in the United States all gather togeth er for a common cause: future women. For the past five years, the Ms. Foundation for Women has sponsored “Take Our Daughters to Work Day” on the fourth Thursday in April. “The Day,” according to Ms. Foundation president Marie C. Wilson, “was created to maintain and enhance self-esteem and confi dence in girls during adoles cence.” The emphasis for this year’s Take Our Daughters to Work Day was to spotlight how the day has affected those girls who have participated in it over the years. A national essay/story contest was held in search of eight girls whose lives have ben efited fi^jm their participation in the event. ’The winning girls were matched with a wide vari ety of celebrity mentors includ ing WNBA player Rebecca Lobo and actresses Ming-Na Wen and Gillian Anderson. I had the chance to spend the day with world-acclaimed opera diva Jessye Norman in New York City. My day started with my introduction to .Sharon Rowell, the Ms. Foimdation rep resentative and escort for me and my mom, Theresa, for the day. We left our hotel and head ed to the CNN studios for my live interview with Jessye Norman. Once we reached the studio, I was quickly sent to the make-up room to get ready for my TV spot. After Ms. Norman’s arrival, we left my mom and Sharon in the Green Room and were taken into the studio for our interview. During the CNN interview, Ms. Norman, who serves on the Ms. Foundation’s Board of Directors, talked about her involvement with the founda tion, while I talked about my future career plans in journal ism. After the interview, we met with CNN political analyst Farai Chideya, who is also the author of the book, “Don’t Beheve the Hype.” Ms. Chideya took us on an exciting and com plete tour of the CNN studios. We even got the chance to talk to news anchors before and after they were on the air. I was very impressed with the huge num ber of people it took to run CNN and the amount of time that goes into making a five-minute segment. We left CNN at around 11:30 a.m. and were chauffeured to Doubleday Book Store, in Ms. Norman’s black Cadillac. Ms. Norman asked me what kind of books I like to read and we spent time looking for a good mysteiy novel. She purchased for me the books “Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison, “Flying Home and other Stories” by Ralph Ellison and “Woman in the Dark” by T.J. Phaiips. As I looked outside of the book store, which was right across the street from Trump Towers, I was amazed to see New Yorkers bump into each other tiying to get a good look at Ms. Norman, too afiuid to approach her. Two ladies, however, did get up enough nerve and started a con versation in...French! But the thing that was even more sur prising is that she answered and chatted with them in fluent French! For lunch, we met with Ms. Norman’s fiiend, HarperCoUins editor Cynthia Barrett, at the fabulous five-star Carlyle Restaxirant on Madison Avenue. We talked about my interest in journalism while we feasted on a dehcious buffet complete with authentic New York-style cheesecake. After lunch, I had to say good-bye to both Ms. Norman, who had a 3 o’clock flight to Michigan, and to Ms. Barrett, who had to retirnn to her job at HarperCoUins. For the remainder of the trip we were accompanied by Sharon RoweU, who took us to the Ms. Foundation headquarters on WaU Street in lower Manhattan. There she introduced me to EDITORIALS Four years of lessons sealed at graduation By Gena Watkins THE CHARLOTTE POST ter of Mary Peay Pendergrass of Brentwood Place and James Ferguson of Dehnar Lane. •North Carolina State University honored several local students during its recent African American Student Awards Banquet. Among those who received certificates for out> standing academic achievement were Tracey Patrice Downing, the daughter of Sharon Joan Downing of Statesville. Mecklenburg County winners were Yolanda Dominique Brown, daughter of Eleanor G. Brown of Brooklet Lane and Mason L. Brown; Danyale E. Davis, daughter of Berlinda Davis Carr of Lanecrest Ave. and Clarence Ray Carr of Concord; Tiffany Saundra Green, daughter of Ivy Jane Cunningham and Alphonso Daniel Green of Talbany Place; Brandon Andrew Johnson, son of Diane B. and Andrew R. Johnson of MontibeUo Drive and Bonnie D. Rhynes, daughter of Rosemary M. Fountain and Sevone F. Rhynes of Charlotte. Graduation day had filially arrived and 1001 questions flood mv mind-Have my years at Barber-Scotia reSUy prepared me for the challenges ahead? Will I be successful? Will this investment of time and money somehow double for me? Am I satisfied with the things I've accomplished in these four years? And with a resounding YES! I can answer every ques tion. The Scotia- experience has been one not comparable to any other. I came seeking only a col lege degree, however, I have gained so much more. There were lesson inside and outside of the clas^rOoni.* I, for the'first time, was exposed to people of very diverse cultural and socioe conomic backgrounds. This exposure helped to open my closed-mind. I was forced to con front prejudices that I never knew existed, and accept new perspectives and ideas. The more I resisted change, the more I changed. My attitude became gratitude; my cocki ness became confidence and my contempt, in many cases, became admiration. I grew spiritually, person ally and academically. I never imagined that a formal educa tion would add so much to my life. This was a time of self-dis- coveiy. Abilities that had been lost to complacency were re-dis covered. I found strength that I never knew existed at most need times. It seems that everything is coming to an end, but in actuali ty it is just beginning. My options are greater. My focus is clearer. And I am assuredly pre pared for the challenges of the 21st centiuy. In retrospect,and having accomplished this marvelous feat, I can truly say that it has been worth it all - all the headaches, all the sleepless nights, all the tears and all the sacrifices. For as I have been told, on so many occasions, edu cation is something that no one can take from you. .And thank God, I GOT MINE! Gena Watkins is a senior at Barber Scotia College in Concord. No way home By Josephine George THE CHARLOTTE POST The time has finally come - graduation is here. The point I have reached is just the tip of the iceberg for my career. College lasted four years but some were rougher than oth ers. I will remember the long nights typing term papers and sitting through the hour-long classes that seemed like forev-, er. The long lines that snaked out the door and around the corner with students waiting to get validated and regis tered. I had feelings some times I will never make it. Even though I am excited and can’t wait for the day, I still have some reservations. This leads me to think about how the nitpicking and igno rance amongst us has got to stop. The year 2000 will be here soon and most of us are acting the same way we were in the 1960s. The only difference is that instead of the white man using fire hoses to blow us away we are using guns and illegal drugs to diminish our numbers. How can you look at someone that looks like you and number their days on the earth? Instead of fighting each other, we need to stand together. The only way we can get somewhere is if we fight for the same thing. We have to become one to stand against all other odds. The time we spend killing one another and fighting against epch other can be spent on other things like edu cating ourselves. Education can lead you to greater heights and open doors that were once locked. We as African Americans have spent too much time on the back burner. We need to see more African American men in higher learning institutions. It is not rare to find only three men in a classroom. Instead of me finding you on the street corner, I need to find you on the comer in the library read ing a book. The time has come and we need to capture some of the soil and grow. There are 13-year-old girls talking about dying if they can’t talk to a certain boy. This situation turns into sis ters walking aroimd pregnant and fatherless waiting for a check on the first and the 15th of the month. The only check they should be waiting for is a payroll check when cashed the money is green, not brown. Say no to GED and say yes to the classroom.' The six hours spent a day in school will go by so fast your head will turn. The easy way out isn’t always the answer. But is it really the easy way out? Imagine someone taking four years of high school and mak ing a test. Oh. Whoa', you have two days to take it. The day I graduated from high school, my mother told me “The race is not to the swift but to he that endureth in the end.” That’s a message I have learned to live by for the last four years. That was exactly four years ago and now I’m about to receive my degree in communications. The time and effort you put into a project will definitely show in the end. On Sunday, I will be putting on my black robe and walking across the stage at Ovens Auditorium thinking of aU the obstacles I have surpassed. When I turn that tassel to the left, I will enter the real world. I wait for what it has for me. I carry along with me the knowledge I received and the promise that it will take me places. Peace for all and stop the fighting. Josephine George is a senior communication arts major at Johnson C. Smith University. By Kaia Zawadi THE CHARLOTTE POST •Barber-Scotia College recent ly held its 1997 Honors Convocation. Nine students were named to the President’s List with 4.0 grade point aver ages. ’The nine students honored were Nicole Aiken, Peter Sherrer, Sheena Alexander, Nicole Hill, Christopher defines, Toni Perry, Schonella Stewart, Gena Watkins and Lycelle Welcome. Several Barber-Scotia students were also named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. Local winners include Sheena Alexander of Huntersville, Thelka Blue of Concord, Lashanta Goode of Charlotte, Yolanda Grier of Charlotte, Nicole Hill of Kannapolis, Sharon Peny of Monroe, Corpus Reyes of Concord, Gary Smith of Concord, Gena Watkins of Gastonia. ’The college experience is one that I will always remember. It was better than my high school years. Coming from Brooklyn, NY. to Charlotte has made me more responsible for my actions. Charlotte has grown on me and I will not be returning to the Big Apple, unless I am offered a job with the New York Times. I would like to start my life here and eventually move to Washiijgton, D.C. Finally graduating in 1997, I will always look at my college career as one that prepared me for the “real world.” All of the four years paid off. Majoring in communications at Johnson C. Smith University was exciting and stressful as well. 'The excit ing aspects were that I got the opportunity to meet, people in the communications field and take various trips to communi cation conventions. I also enjoyed writing up proposals and interviewing interesting people. The stressful part was completing my senior thesis. This required paper made me realize that my field is very important to everyone that depends on the media for infor mation. My writing has matured very much as a result of these experiences. I have to offer good communication, interpersonal, computer and of course writing .skills to any newspaper or firm. My college years made me grow from a teenager to an adult. I knew that my senior year would come faster than I thought and I knew I had to prepsu’e myself academically. I have been look ing forward to this day for a very long time and so have my par ents. I hope to accomphsh one goal after I graduate from col lege. To become a reporter or to write a corporate newsletter for a public relations firm. Interning at The Charlotte Post, Charlotte Leader and news editor for the jeSU News helped me get hands-on experience in this field. This might not happen soon, but it will happen. Graduation is the next step into the professional world. My ulti mate fear is not becoming suc cessful in the field of journalism or any professional field. The only advice that I have for stu dents entering college or who are currently enrolled in college is to prepare yourself now for your own future, get hands-on experience as early as possible and maintain contacts. Kaia Zawadi is a graduating communication arts major at Johnson C. Smith University. CAMPUS PROFILE SPELMAN COLLEGE Atlanta, Georgia Location: Atlanta, Georgia Founded: 1881 Enrollment: More than 1,500 full time students and over 50 part-time students Achievements: Spelman is the old est historically Black college in the country for women. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies Spelman in the Baccalaureate I Category which earned them honorable mention in “U.S. News & World Report.” Degrees can be obtained through' the master’s level. In addition to high aca demic standards, Spelman emphasizes the importance of community service, which resulted in the Point of Light Award from President Bush in 1991. For more information contact the Spelman College Office of Admissions 350 Spelman Lane, SW Atlanta, Georgia 30314 (404)681-3643
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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May 8, 1997, edition 1
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