Why College?

Southern Methodist University Freshman

     I have been a college student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX for almost 3 1/2 months. When first beginning college I encountered many people questioning why they are here. They ask questions like:

• What am I doing here?
• What should I major in?
• Why did I choose this school?
• How is SMU going to help me succeed in my future?

     When I see students with these questions I am forced to ask, "Why ARE you here?" They rarely have an answer. The reason why so many young people drop out of school and transfer to other schools is because our society engrains it in our mind that we need to be in school. That we must always be learning and that's true but who says that our learning has to come from a textbook. There are so many things that can be learned by simply working and interacting with people in the real world. As a society, we have been brainwashed to believe that college is the only road that leads to success. Many brilliant minds who haven't gone to college have invented and created things that have been of great use to our society; why don't we see that?  

     People shouldn't be forced to go to college by their parents, relatives, church, or even the government. Going to college should be a decision. 

My father always told me that, "College is a pursuit of higher learning. You can either go to college, go to work, or go to the army. Take your pick." 

Having that choice of if and where to go to college has enlightened me and made me truly understand, acknowledge, and honor my calling. I am called to be an actor and that is why I am here. I knew when I auditioned for Southern Methodist University that SMU was the school for me. I knew that this was the school that would propel me into the world and put me on the right track towards a successful career in acting.

I am not saying that college is a bad thing. All I am saying is that a pursuit of higher learning is a choice; and that right shouldn't be taken away from us. 

Blood Is As Thick As Water

This blog post was inspired by:
Fathers Who Leave Their Children Behind

All of my life I have been battling with the concept of "family".
What is it?
What do we as people have to do to attain it?
What does it mean to truly be apart of a "family"?
  
     Whenever I think of family I think of my cousin Jasmine Patterson. Jasmine was born into the arms of a drug addict and a prostitute. When she was only 2 years old, her mother (Sara Ross) would leave her in the house alone to fulfill her desire of being sexually used. Her dad (Michael Patterson) would smoke weed and inject heroine in his veins with his young daughter sitting directly next to him. When my grandmother (Sue Patterson) found out about this, she immediately removed Jasmine from that house to live with her; this infuriated Sara. Many years later, during an argument between Sue and Sara a secret was unveiled: "Jasmine is not your granddaughter. Michael isn't the father." Anytime my grandmother would talk about this moment she would sob for hours. In my grandmother's opinion,"Jasmine for many years lived a lie. She lived in an alternate reality."

     This mindset confused me because it made me wonder what a "family" truly was. Is a family a group of people that care about themselves and aren't willing to give up bad habits? I know who my family is. Yes, I am fortunate to have a strong mother and father who love and care for me. But I also have other groups of "family". I have my many friends, my close teachers, and all the people around the world who truly care for me. That is what a family is.

Blood is as thick as water.
Sue is Jasmine's grandmother and they are connected by LOVE.