Purpose is not decided
It is discovered
From starting in Detroit, to taking on the World
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From starting in Detroit, to taking on the World
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Opportunities to succeed takes more effort than you think. Success requires you to consistently prioritize your entire life, not just for studying abroad (which I had to prioritize), but overall planning for my future.
“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe” - Eric Thomas With school work as your number one priority as a student, multiple students feel they don't have time to fit other activities into their schedule. I had to prioritize my entire next school year by completing scholarships for school as well as study abroad over my entire Christmas break. Yes, even Christmas break! I plan to live for many more holidays but opportunities for post education don't come often. We have two, almost three weeks of break and I know if I want to achieve certain goals like having my college paid for as well as other opportunities, I must be ready to work. Most scholarships open top of the year on January 1st. I enjoy time with my family on New Year's going to church or do something fun for the holidays, but on January 2nd I’m back to work! The early bird catches the worm and I don’t want to be a minute late. After break I have less time on my hands due to the beginning of a new semester. I encourage students to relax on scholarships when the semester begins. Remember, school is still our number one priority and we can not get side track. That doesn’t mean we need to give up on working on scholarships altogether, weekends are still available. Yup, some of you are going to have to give up all your partying on the weekend. Opportunities such as studying abroad requires sacrifice and dedication. Whether you want to complete scholarships or just organize your life, you’ll need to cut some of the extra activities out of your regimen. Tell your friends you’ll be a little busy for a little while and if they’re real friends they’ll understand. If you put in the work you could easily go anywhere or do anything you want, If you don’t believe me take myself as an example. In January I began working on the Benjamin Gilman Scholarship which funds students looking to study abroad. I literally revised this scholarship essay about seven or eight times with the help of advisors and close friends. I knew they had to be getting a little tired of me asking for help but that’s the thing, I was willing to get those scholarships by any means necessary. I know that those I surround myself with only want the best for me and want me to succeed, so I really didn't mind reaching out for help. That means I had to also put my pride aside, which can be very difficult for me since it's uncomfortable and I prefer to do things myself. Only about 28% of the students who apply nationally for the Benjamin Gilman Scholarship receive it annually. I was one of the 1,475 students nationwide to receive the Gilman Scholarship. I worked on this particular scholarship essay until the day before it was due, I needed it to be perfect! Not only that, I received this scholarship as a FRESHMAN! The foundation of my work ethic comes from a special quote I came across during this time: “Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.”
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I was overly excited for South Korea at this point. I was on my first flight alone and honestly, I didn't have a nervous bone in my body. I was confident that I took care of everything before I left so there was no need to worry about things back home like school work from summer I or packing up my dorm. The train ride to Chicago was a breeze and I just needed to make my way to the airport. Have things ever gone so smooth that you expected something bad to happen? That's how I am unfortunately. My mom called me crying thinking I was flying to North Korea when I continuously reminded her that I was going to South Korea, huge difference.
After arriving at the airport, I decided to finally relax and enjoy my last meal in America for a while. I ordered a juicy bacon burger fresh off the grill with freshly salted fries and a refreshing ice cold water, very unhealthy by the way but I tried to be healthy by getting a water. Actually, I just couldn't afford to buy a soda. While relaxing I decided to check my flight itinerary one last time before getting on the plane. After looking a little closer I realized I will be having a 13-hour layover in Shanghai, China before my second flight, boy was I pissed! After realizing my mistake, I just laughed at my foolishness. I swear I always miss the small details but I eventually figured it out. It was already a 14-hour flight to Shanghai, China then a two-hour flight to South Korea. I just needed to handle one thing at a time to make sure I don’t miss anything else. After an extra-long flight to my layover destination in China, I was hit with more trouble. My next flight was at a completely different airport! Wow! This is just nonsense! At this point I needed help booking a hotel because almost everything was in Chinese and I couldn't do it myself. I know this sounds crazy, but my Detroit mentality kept me extremely paranoid. It was getting late and I needed to book a hotel and get a ride to a hotel. Multiple people came to help me as they notice I was the lost foreigner in the airport. One of the airport employees scheduled a shuttle to take me to a nearby hotel but the shuttle driver looked extremely sketchy. It was a dude with a huge scar on his face similar to Tony Montana smoking a cigarette and couldn’t smile if his life depended on it. “Nope! Not getting in the car with him,” I thought. Google translator really came in handy as I cracked a few jokes to lighten the mood but I was still very cautious. I had to learn a few key things in this situation. First, I needed to learn to trust people somethings, everybody is not out to get me. Next I had to learn more preparation, these situations could have been easily avoided if I had paid attention to details. The next day I made it to the correct airport and finally landed in South Korea, Thank God! Coming from Detroit many people wondered why I would want to go to South Korea. My mom thinks North and South Korea are the same so she constantly worries, she thinks I won't come back. I consistently play into it as it gives me endless humor. When the idea of going to South Korea came up I wondered, “What did South Korea have to offer a young black man from Detroit.” I initially turn down the offer, I was comfortable in my comfort zone and knowing I was in a safe space. I was worried about how they would perceive me in Korea. I feel like I paid attention to all the negativity South Korea had to offer and ignored the positive impact. I was terrified at the idea of being the only one of my kind. And I somewhat believed my friends for some reason when they joked about me getting kidnapped and never seen again, I guess they thought I was going to North Korea too. But what should I have expected of someone who has never been outside of their comfort zone and never experienced a world outside of Detroit. The jokes were all fun and games until I had to make a real decision.
While praying about this decision I referred to some advice I received about a year ago from a man named Rico Spencer during a foster care youth conference, I never received so much great advice in one conversation. We talked before I came to Western Michigan University and again, I was afraid to be the minority in this situation as well. First off, as a black man in America I had to realize that I'll be a minority in most situations. Spencer made me realize the power and privilege within me as a black man. As a minority, he told me to never let others make you feel uncomfortable, but make them feel uncomfortable by just being who you are. I had to look inside myself and find who I was. Once an individual discovers who they are then no situation can faze them. Going to South Korea wasn't the challenge that I had to face, finding out who I am was my real task. In the past eight months being in college and facing adversity I learned numerous things about myself. Going to South Korea will help me discover another piece of the puzzle. And just a couple months later I made the decision to go to South Korea. As a public relations and journalism major this is going to be huge in my career as well. I plan to gain the tools I need in Korea to help my family and friends back home. No fear or anxiety will ever stop me from any opportunity because I know who I am. Also, I must know who I am to influence or help those around me. Overall Europe was a huge success! I survived my first trip outside of the country, THANK GOD! From Germany to the UK, France, Czech Republic, Switzerland and seven other European countries, I am thankful for every moment. Back to boring old America. Stay tune to where I will be traveling next.Please don't let my opinion sway you or mess up your experience in Paris. Call me crazy but I'm not a big fan of Paris. During the end of the Europe trip one of our last stops was Paris. I was too excited but exhausted at the same. This had to be the 12th country in Europe we had traveled to and I wasn't sure how much energy I had left. Also, we just left my favorite country by far which was Switzerland. I loved Switzerland for its natural beauty. The mountains, the lakes, and the culture all warmed my heart.
I'm more into amazing nature than cool buildings. When I'm in a calm environment where I feel completely free it's truly the best feeling in the world. Also I'm not huge on places where you can't move an inch without bumping into someone. I just have to laugh at myself because I know big cities aren't for me. Paris just didn't have much to offer me and the highlight of being in Paris is saying that you’re in Paris. Paris didn't give me good vibes and that is what I look for most when I travel. Don't get me wrong, the Palace of Versailles was amazing and the Eiffel tower incredible. Unfortunately for me, Paris was just okay, way too expensive! So, guess what I did today? I just jumped off of a mountain! And glided into the sky like an eagle as I felt the lovely air gently graze my skin and the sweet sounds of hummingbirds sang to me as I floated through the wind. Well it didn't go exactly like that, let me explain.
Let me start this by saying I am terrified of heights. We had just arrived in Switzerland the day before I never been in such a calming environment in my life. My girlfriend convinced me to go hang gliding and for some strange reason I agreed. It had to be almost a year since I was reminded of my fear of heights and I forgot that I was. While in Switzerland on my Europe trip, I was enjoying everything Switzerland had to offer. Switzerland is such a relaxing place that you can easily forget about any of your worries you have back home. I was caught in a vulnerable state where she knew I'd agree, I should have known better! On my way up the mountain to go hang gliding I remained calm. I truly forgot I was afraid of heights. I smiled and smiled even laughing at my girlfriend’s cautiousness. "This is about to be a breeze," I said as the instructor prepared me. Five minutes later I found myself nearly passed out as we flew literally ten feet across from a bird. I was quickly reminded why I never liked going to Cedar Point or any other amusement park. My instructor landed early due to my non-stop yelling and fear of dying while being in the air, I never held a man so tight in my life. I felt like I had to remind myself why I decided to travel and study abroad in the first place. Part of the reason was to face some of my greatest fears. It felt tremendous to look back at an experience and say, “Yea, I actually did that.” I’m a God fearing man and God never gave us the spirit of fear. I remember a Will Smith quote saying that bliss is on the other side of fear and I truly believe that. Europe was for sure a life changing experience. My girlfriend Alexis and I booked a trip with a tour company around Europe but decided to see a few places that was left off of the list like Rome and Milan. It was expensive but you can check out my previous post on how I earned the funds to pay for the trip.
We landed in Rome where the Italians could care less about any Americans and I quickly found out how Italians felt about tourist. It didn't help that I couldn't speak a lick of Italian coming to their country. Specifically waitresses had no patience for some stupid Americans that they couldn't understand. The people of Rome were preoccupied doing their own thing and didn't care for what we wanted or needed help with. The feeling reminded me of New York where everybody is in their own world and is too busy to help you with whatever you’re struggling with. In our situation they not only didn’t care but couldn’t understand what we were saying. There were a few generous Italians willing to offer help when needed. Though the people weren't too friendly, surprisingly Rome was one of my favorite places in Europe. The paintings in the Vatican are simply historical, mind blowing to say the least. I genuinely was invested in each and every painting as the detail brought every image to life. The scenery left me speechless as I stood there staring only inches away from some of the paintings. The security continuously reminded me to step back but I honestly couldn’t help it, I felt surrounded by greatness! I also appreciated the scenery of the Colosseum but it felt weird in my spirit being there. Thousands of Christians were executed right where I stood and It kinda gave me a spirit of worry knowing that I was in setting where such fatalities were acceptable. On a more positive note, the pasta lifted my spirit as I drowned in the luscious cheese that gave me a serious food baby, I legit looked three months pregnant. The price was ridiculous but I couldn't turn down pasta while in Italy. My most enjoyable memory of Rome was feeling such a historic presence around me. I watched "300" a million times but nothing could beat being in Rome for real. It may have been weird but I really wanted to walk in the middle of the street and yell," THIS IS SPARTA!" Maybe kick a guy in the chest down a couple stairs in the process. I knew it would've embarrassed my girlfriend so I relaxed. But Rome was truly one of my favorite places in Europe and that was just the start of the Europe trip. I definitely have to go back one day! Traveling overseas may seems like it's such a long shot, especially for minority youth like myself or young people in general. Don't get me wrong, getting the opportunity to do it doesn't come very often. It can be expensive and awfully stressful even considering traveling. As a child I always wanted to travel but I never thought I'd have the funds too nor did I believe I would be brave enough to go through with it. As I grew up, I realized that the things you want to do in life will always present themselves one way or another.
While attending Western Michigan University I realized how big the study abroad program was. After pushing my fear aside I decided to commit to the decision to study abroad. Before agreeing I had to make sure I would be taken care of financially. Luckily for me, I'm dating a scholarship expert and receive help finding scholarships for study abroad but there was still a boat load of work that needed to be done. I'm blessed to be in the position that I'm in but many people look at my situation and believe I was handed everything I have. The difference between me and other people is the fact that I take advantage of most of the opportunities that come my way. People don't realize how much work goes into achieving your goals. Many people are under the impression that you either get handed something or you just don't get it at all. This couldn't be anything further from the truth. There are a plethora of opportunities offered to us in life but that's just the beginning of the journey. After you get hired for a job the next step is to start working to earn a paycheck, It's the same when working to achieve a goal. I understand we may have setbacks and difficulties but that's part of the process. These are things that I'm still learning myself in my life. We have to accept opportunities knowing that it isn't over until you achieve your goal. While working on scholarships to study abroad, I put my full effort into each and every essay I wrote. My mindset going into these essays was to deliver material written so well that it would be impossible to turn me down. I wrote essays knowing that I was going to receive each scholarship I applied for. Unfortunately, I was turned down a few times by a few different organizations. I didn't receive every scholarship I applied for but I had to look at what I did receive. I was one of only a couple hundred people to be awarded the Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship for $3,500. In addition to that, I have received nearly $10,000 worth of scholarships for school as well as study abroads. It all started from the state of mind that I will not be denied! We can apply this logic to every scenario in our lives. This was a teaching tool that I will never stop pushing towards my goals no matter how impossible they seem to be. The opportunity to achieve your dreams will always show itself. I’ve spent 20 years of my life trying to figure out that question. "Who am I?" Right now I am a 20-year-old sophomore at Western Michigan University majoring in public relations and minoring in journalism & race/ethnic relations. Growing up in Detroit, I have seen myself as a lot of things and none of them included what I'm doing now. The number one question we ask kids is, " What do you want to be when you grow up?" Yea, like they know that already.
As a kid I wanted to be a movie star as I watched Chris Tucker run around the streets of Hong Kong in Rush Hour 2. Next, I wanted to play football as I watched Ray Lewis destroy quarterbacks on Sundays ripping opponents head off. The thing that I was missing was MY identity. Of course you won't know who you are at the age of 10 but that's the perfect age to begin shaping your identity. As I lay in my freezing cold dorm room on my concrete solid bed staring at the ceiling, I still wonder to this day who exactly am I as a person and what is my purpose. I believe our circumstances create who we are. Detroit is a city that will either make you or break you and I had no option but to succeed through adversity in the city. My city, family, and circumstances made me who I am today. Coming from a city where a multitude of the people have similar ideologies, I feel as if my job in this world is to give people a different perspective on things as well as getting them out of their comfort zone. To find out more about who I am, I decided to fulfill my dream of studying abroad which may put me in uncomfortable situations at times but that’s where I feel I will prosper the most. Traveling is a dream as well as one of my biggest fears and I feel in order to discover my identity I must take on my biggest fears. I will be the first in my family to leave the country which is a huge accomplishment in itself. While studying abroad or traveling around the globe, I will give you guys my perspective on things from exciting moments to my gigantic struggles. So, who am I? I am a risk taker who pushes boundaries, I am the author of my own life, I am the one who challenges the popular opinion, I am the head and not the tail. And unfortunately, I am also the knucklehead college student who will be pulling an all-nighter tonight because he has a 20 page paper due tomorrow and only has nine pages done. And at the end of the day it’s simple, I'm just a kid from Detroit. |
AuthorJustin Black
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