>> I WAS ONE OF THOSE KIDS THAT, UH, NOT TO
TOOT MY OWN HORN, BUT I WAS KIND OF A POPULAR
KID.
I HAD LOTS OF FRIENDS.
ALWAYS HAD, LIKE, A LITTLE TRAIL OF KID THAT
WAS ALWAYS FOLLOWING AROUND.
IT WAS A FUN CHILDHOOD, RUNNING AROUND THE
CITY, THE TIME YOU COULD DO THAT, RUN AROUND
IN THE CITY WITHOUT HAVING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT
GETTING PICKED UP IN A CAR OR SOMETHING LIKE
THAT.
WHEN I WAS RAISED WITH MY GRAND PARENTS, THEY
WERE OLD, YOU KNOW, AND SO WHEN I WOULD COME
HOME FROM SCHOOL, THING LIKE THAT, THEY WEREN'T
MAYBE NOT BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T INTERESTED
IN MY EDUCATION, BUT MAYBE THEY WERE AT AN
AGE WHERE THEY WEREN'T REALLY THEY COULDN'T
BE INTERESTED.
THEY HAD HEALTH ISSUES, THEY HAD TO TAKE CARE
OF THE HOME.
I HAD TWO COUSINS THAT LIVED WITH ME TOO.
SO WHEN I WOULD GO TO SCHOOL, THERE WASN'T
ANYBODY MONITORING AS FAR AS CHECK YOUR HOMEWORK,
WHAT DID HE LEARN IN SCHOOL, THING LIKE THAT.
I WAS KIND OF ON MY OWN.
THEN WHEN I CAME TO SCHOOL, IT WAS LEFT TO
THE TEACHERS AND THEY DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB
OF THAT.
OTHER WISE I WOULDN'T BE IN THIS POSITION
RIGHT NOW SO
AFTER MY GRANDMA DIED I WENT BACK TO LIVE
WITH MY MOM IN KANSAS CITY.
AND MANHATTAN IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN KANSAS
CITY.
IT'S JUST MORE OF AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND
SO WHEN I WENT THERE, I WAS LOOKED AS, YOU
KNOW, LIKE A NERDY KID.
THEY SAID I TALKED WHITE AND I WAS LIKE WHAT,
TALK WHITE, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
I HAD TO DEAL WITH THAT, KIDS KIND OF MESSED
WITH ME A LITTLE ABOUT THAT AND, UM, THAT
WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
MY POPULARITY WENT COMPLETELY OUT THE WINDOW.
IT DIDN'T BOTHER ME TO A POINT WHERE IT MISSED
MY ACADEMICS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT IT
WAS DEFINITELY DIFFERENT.
I WAS IN 8TH GRADE AND I DIDN'T WANT TO BE
IN THE REGULAR SCHOOL IN KANSAS CITY, I WANTED
TO BE SOMEWHERE THAT WOULD KIND OF TEST ME
A LITTLE BIT MORE ASK PUSH ME AND A FRIEND
SAID GO TO SUMNER.
I WAS LIKE I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.
HE WAS LIKE YOU GOTTA TAKE A SPECIAL TEST
TO GET TO SUMNER.
I TRIED THE TEST, PASSED IT, THEY ACCEPT ME
SO FROM 9TH GRADE TO I FINISHED UNTIL I GRADUATED
I WENT TO SUMNER.
WE WERE LOOKED AT DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHER HIGH
SCHOOLS IN KANSAS CITY.
WE DID INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE THERE WHICH
IS A TOUGHER ACADEMIC STANDARD THAN EVEN AP.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU TOOK IB AT A SCHOOL YOU'RE
LIKE MAN, I CAN DO SOME STUFF BECAUSE THAT'S
LIKE COLLEGE LEVEL TYPE STUFF.
SO I THINK THAT DEFINITELY KIDS WERE WE'RE
HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE KIDS IN KANSAS CITY.
THEN OTHER KIDS IN KANSAS CITY LOOKED AT US
LIKE SNOBS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
THEN WE KIND OF YOU KNOW GOT TOGETHER.
IT BRINGS EVERYBODY TOGETHER LIKE A SENSE
OF COMMUNITY, EVERYBODY HATES US IN KANSAS
CITY SO LET'S GATHER TOGETHER AND JUST SUIT
OURSELVES FROM EVERYBODY ELSE.
THAT'S KIND OF HOW IT WAS AT SUMNER.
THE MOMENT IT CRYSTALLIZED THAT I WANTED TO
BE A TEACHER WAS PROBABLY THE END OF MY SENIOR
YEAR WITH MR.
SMITH.
YOU KNOW, HE STAYED ON ME AND KEPT ME ON TOP
OF THINGS ABOUT GET NOTHING TO COLLEGE AND
KEEPING ME MOTIVATED.
MR.
SMITH ESPECIALLY REALLY STRESSED JUST PREPARATION,
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY SAID EVERYTHING THAT
WE'RE DOING HERE GOING TO PREPARE YOU FOR
COLLEGE.
YOU CAN'T DO IT HERE, YOU KNOW, ARE YOU GOING
TO BE ABLE TO DO IT AT K STATE.
I'LL NEVER FORGET, LIKE, GRADUATION WHEN WE
WERE WALKING AT THE CAP AND GOWN CEREMONY
AND ALL THE TEACHER WERE IN THE CAP AND GOWN
AND WE WERE JUST WALKING WITH EVERYONE AND,
UM, ALL THE TEACHERS WERE LINED UP JUST HAD
A LOOK OF APPROVAL ON THEM, A LOOK OF OKAY,
YOU GUYS MADE IT AND, UM, HE JUST LOOKED HAPPY.
HE LOOKED LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU DID IT FOR FOUR
YEARS AND I WAS LIKE MAN
THAT PRETTY MUCH CRYSTALLIZED IT FOR ME.
I SAID YEAH, THIS IS WHAT I'M GOING TO GO
INTO.
THE PRESSURE I FEEL IS PRETTY MUCH PUT UPON
MYSELF BECAUSE I'M HERE, I'M A SELF DRIVEN
PERSON.
THERE'S NO ONE FROM THE OUTSIDE REALLY SAYING
YOU HAVE TO DO IT.
IT'S ALL FROM ME.
I WANT TO SUCCEED; I WANT TO BE THE FIRST
PERSON IN MY FAMILY TO DO THIS.
AND I'M SO FAR INTO IT, I'M SO DEEP INTO IT,
LIKE, FOR ME TO BACK OUT OF IT NOW WOULD BE
A COMPLETE FAILURE.
SO THAT'S THE PRESSURE I FEEL IS JUST TO BE
THE FIRST ONE.
WHEN I WENT TO COLLEGE, I KNEW THAT I WAS
THE FIRST ONE TO GO.
SO I KNEW I WANTED TO FINISH, I KNEW THAT
I HAD THESE LOFTY GOALS TO MEET.
NOT JUST TO GO TO COLLEGE, NOT JUST TO GRADUATE,
I WANT TO GET A MASTERS, I WANT TO GET A DOCTRATE.
AT SOME POINT JUST TO SET THAT BAR IN MY FAMILY
HISTORY.
THERE PROBABLY ISN'T ANY STEREOTYPES IN THIS
DAY IN AGE AS FAR AS ME BEING A BLACK GUY
GOING TO COLLEGE, BUT AS FAR AS BEING EDUCATION
I THINK I'M BREAKING A LOT OF STEREOTYPES.
I MEAN, JUST LOOK AT MY PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
AND SAY OKAY, THIS GUY'S GOING TO BE A TEACHER.
YOU'RE GOING TO BE LIKE WHAT.
YOU MIGHT THINK MIGHT BE GOING INTO SPORTS
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT ME AND SAY THIS GUY WANTS
TO BE A TEACHER, THERE'S A LOT OF STEREOTYPES.
THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF GUYS THAT WANT
TO BE A TEACHER FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND.
THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF BLACK GUYS THAT
WANT TO BE A TEACHER.
SO THAT STEREOTYPE I THINK I'M BREAKING AND
I HOPE THAT AT SOME POINT, YOU KNOW, THAT
DOESN'T BECOME A STEREOTYPE.
