Measures of a Man College Campus Tours
Last week, our 6th through 8th grade students toured the campuses of Miles College, Samford University, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Miles College-Minutes Away, Miles Ahead
Nearly 60 students filled the room as the Miles College campus tour began. Miles College is the only Historically Black College in the Birmingham area and is home to notable Miles alumni including former Birmingham mayors Richard Arrington and Bernard Kincaid, civil rights activists Autherine Lucy, and U.S. District Court Judge U.W. Clemon, Alabama’s first black federal judge.
The students at Miles College were excited to welcome our kids on campus as they toured various academic buildings, dormitories, and the new student involvement building. Our students then joined Chris Roberston, Miles College Director of Admissions, for a short lecture, after which they engaged in a question and answer session to test how much information they retained during the campus tour. Hands quickly went up when Roberston quizzed the students as they competed for complimentary Miles College t-shirts.
Before leaving, our students convened in the gym to enjoy a pizza party and listen to sound advice from student-athletes. Reginald Patrick, offensive lineman for Miles football, spoke to the students about “never giving up on [their] dreams.” Patrick shared a personal story with which he ended, “I’ve been through a lot, and I wish I had something like this growing up and maybe it would’ve helped me get through everything.”
Samford University-Forbes’ Top-Rated University in Alabama
On Tuesday, our 7th grade students toured the campus of Samford University. Our students started their tour in the planetarium, and were greeted by a panel of student-athletes and scholars. During an open Q&A, one Samford student was asked, “What was your goal when you first got to college?” Gerald Smith, a Samford University basketball player, answered that, initially, his goal was to go to the NBA, and continued, “But then I had to be real with myself. Out of a million people, only two will go, but that won’t stop be from being as rich as an NBA player with my education. You have to prepare yourself for life after playing ball.”
Slowly, the hands started falling as our students quickly began to realize that playing ball wasn’t their only, or best option. Corey Green, Growing Kings board member and Small Business Development Officer/ Vice President at BB&T, chimed in and emphasized the importance of character and education. “I know that a lot of folks have dreams to play ball and ball is good, it can get you to this point, but it’s going to stop at some point,” he shared, “their character is what gets them hired and promoted, not their ability to play ball.”
The University of Alabama at Birmingham – Alabama’s Largest Employer
On Wednesday, mentors from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Black Male Excellence Network (BMEN), a peer-mentoring program designed to provide academic and social support to Black male students at UAB, gave our 8th graders a tour of their campus.
Our students toured Heritage Hall, home to the College of Arts and Sciences, where they were directed to an empty lecture hall. In the lecture hall, mentors from BMEN and TrailBlazers (UAB’s Recruitment Team) discussed the academic requirements, scholarship opportunities, and on-campus scholastic camps for middle and high school students. “If I were you, I would take advantage of these opportunities. You’ll be surprised how it helps you in the long run,” said Xavian, a mentor with BMEN. Our students also learned about the importance of maintaining their GPA while in high school, and about different ACT and SAT prep classes available to them that are offered by the University.
Before wrapping up the tour, our students joined the BMEN mentors and Sharifa Wip, Mentor Coordinator for BMEN, for lunch in UAB’s dining hall. Our students openly expressed their excitement about UAB in small conversations that focused on their newly found ambitions. As one student told another, “I want to go to this school to be a doctor,” Wip responded, “You can do anything you put your mind to and the cool thing is, we’ll be here to help.”
