Progression

This week has been one of progression. Last weekend I was invited to Wisconsin as a part of a conference with Chris Myers Asch. Mr. Myers is in the process of creating an Academy dedicated to Public Service, The U.S Public Service Academy. I have to admit at first I was greatly intimated. When I got there I was by far the youngest person there. My first encounter with the other participants of the conference did not go as well as Mr. Myers or I had planned. But the next day was great. I jumped in the conversations and found I had a valid point and something to contribute to planning of the academy. It was a great weekend and I got to see the process by which a university gets created. Always give your best effort; you’ll never know what you’ll get out of it. I founded out that older people enjoy hearing the voice of a younger generation.
Speaking of always doing you best, last week I had one of the biggest shocks of my first college year so far. I was awarded the Carter G. Woodson Award. It was completely unexpected. Carter G. Woodson is a Berea graduate who is created with founding Black History Month and doing amazing thing for African Americans. The Carter G. Award, as its called here at Berea, is awarded to Berea College students who “{are} outstanding…students who have shown academic promise, demonstrated a commitment to interracial education, and have followed the legacy of Dr. Cater G. Woodson.” For those of you who came to visit me in November, you remember Dean Browner who spoke to you about Berea College. Dean Browner was the person who nominated me for the award and I hear she wrote an amazing nomination letter. So Thanks to Dean Browner from Successful Brothers!
The best part about receiving this award was that I was not expecting it. Dean Browner nominated me without prompting from me or anyone else. The students and staff who voted from me did so without know anything about me aside from what Dean Browner wrote, which was not even my full name. Sometimes we get the best things with out expecting or even aspiring for them. The best award you can get, you get for just being yourself. There is on need to do thing because you know you’ll get rewarded or praised for it. Successful Brothers should always be themselves and let praise and awards come to them naturally. If you are the young men I believe you can be, they will.
Good Luck Successful Brothers!

Successful Brother
Mr. Perkins