I’m so glad I go to Southern U

Southern University Agricultural and Mechanical College has been an outstanding historically black college and university (HBCU) since 1880. Reminiscing on the days of my youth, all of the old folks use to say “When you get older you’ll make a great jaguar.” Of course being young and naive I agreed, half of the time not even knowing what being a “Jaguar “even meant. As I began to grow older, especially living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I felt that being a jaguar only meant to attend SU, enroll into school, go to my classes, attend a couple of games, and even participate in a few college parties and be “lit”. It seemed as if the Jaguar experience was already mapped out for me, or was it? As I embarked upon my high school graduation, the question everyone seemed to ask was “Where are you going to school?” At one time I had big dreams, that soon turned into thoughts of reality, which did not include any part of Southern. I planned on attending a school of arts in California. At some point I came to the realization that I wasn’t going to be able to attend school in California, so in my mind I settled for LSU, with hopes that I could receive the same opportunities that I would, going to California. Again of course, I was forced to choose another place to receive a higher education, and the last place on my mind was Southern University. I personally believe this was because all my life I heard, of Southern University, in school, at home, hell even in other cities. To be honest, now that I recall, I’ve always lived no more than 10-15 minutes away from the Jag Nation and at the time, I just felt that I had enough. Well really it seemed as some of half of this city felt the same way. “Get away from this city as fast as you can”, “Are you really going to Southern… REALLY?” I’ve even heard, “You don’t have anywhere else to go?” Now that I think about it, if I would’ve applied anywhere else, I probably could have, but it would have been a mistake. It’s a few things here at Southern University, that I do not believe I would have received anywhere else. The economy is tough; prices for everything are rising as if they weren’t already high enough, and jobs just don’t fall out of the sky and by attending Southern University you are constantly reminded of that. Being at an HBCU, most of the staff will remind the students on how we are already at a disadvantage, because of our ethnicity, and if we don’t work hard for our needs and wants, we’ll always fall short or never get them. Of course, professors find ways to implement these life lessons through examples that seem impossible, like assigning a paper the day before it’s due and expecting it typed, printed and stapled, ready in the beginning of class. Or, assigning an online assignment and you don’t own a computer, so you’re forced to make big sacrifices in your day, to get to the library because you know the computer lab will be over populated. It’s all-apart of the bigger plan to prepare us for the real world, to make Southern University students, grinders, hustlers, inspirational. It isn’t all just work though; Southern is the only place I know that has a pretty Wednesday. It’s almost a fashion show, without the catwalk. Red bean Monday, or Fish Friday in the café, Southern is the only college that has it faithfully, and our homecoming is one of a kind, you cant find it anywhere else. Going to southern has made me appreciate Baton Rouge a little more. It has also forced me to realize that just because we may feel as if nothing is down here to make us successful doesn’t mean there isn’t. That is only our mindsets, if we make the best out of where we are you can make the place you live in better, so that those opportunities can exist.