By Missy Irvin/reporter
South students were encouraged to strive for excellence during a student success and leadership conference by the African-American Student Organization.
Nicole Bradford, South student development services vice president, gave the keynote address, Excellence: First, Now and Always.
“You will determine where you want to go after you leave TCC,” she said. “You must hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. You are in charge of your future.”
Bradford spoke of the struggles she had growing up in a family of six where no one had ever attended college. She decided she wanted to make a difference and go to college.
“You can come from difficult situations. You can come from difficult environments,” she said. “You have the power to determine what is next for you and your future.”
Bradford said she wasn’t the smartest or top student in her class.
“But most importantly, I had the passion,” she said. “I had the dedication and the commitment to know that I had goals and aspirations. We don’t have to be excellent to get started, but we do have to get started to be excellent.”
Everyone is an unfinished product, so people should strive to improve themselves, Bradford said. Plus, others will also judge.
“You must encourage yourself,” she said. “Always be OK with being yourself. Stick to your morals, have class and stand for who you are.”
Bradford attributed faith for her ability to rise from a family of six with no college to her current status.
“But it was also believing in myself,” she said. “You must continue to work hard for your goals and dreams. Remember it’s excellence first, now and always.”
The conference included three other sessions that focused on the importance of having a mentor and of marketing oneself and the impact of media and popular culture on African-American and Latino males.
