FOREVER AN I-G!

Now that I am away from FAMU, I am really starting to utilize and appreciate the lessons I learned while on the hill. I have heard many alumni who proceeded me talk about life after FAMU - they say that once you're gone you'll appreciate the trials and tribulations that FAMU brought upon you, because it makes you stronger. It prepares you to compete against the best the world has to offer. I realize now that these alumni are undeniably right, and as I think about the lessons that I took away from FAMU, the one that I am utilizing the most at this time in my life is the importance of I-G'ing.

At FAMU when you become interested in a greek organization you become an "I-G." I remember the days before I became an Alpha and how I wanted to be apart of this organization so bad. I remember dreaming about it, and I was willing to sacrifice, work hard, and go the extra mile to secure my spot in Alpha Land. Although Alpha Phi Alpha is a non-pledging and non-hazing organization, in my mind there was no such thing as calling too much or being overly persistent. I had to be tenacious. I had to prove that I wanted it severely!

Needless-to-say I became an Alpha, and I proudly wear the letters across my chest. Although I've crossed over to the other side, and I've obtained the rights and privileges of being apart of a black greek letter organization, I still consider myself an I-G. These days I'm simply I-G'ing to another organization - the film industry.

So, I am taking the same desire, the same persistence, the same tenacity, and the same determination that I used in my pursuit to become an Alpha, and I'm applying them to my new goal. I am realizing that I have to go to events so my face will be known. I am willing to call a contact 10 times even though they never answer, and I will still have the courage to call back again. I won't forget that no one owes me anything, and it is a privilege to even be considered. I will remember that sleep is an option and excuses are tools of incompetence.

When I really think about it, I believe that I will forever be an I-G, because I will always be trying to get something that somebody else has. I will always be trying to achieve a goal that I have yet to accomplish. There is no time for complacency and mediocrity as a standard is unacceptable. I have to be tight and thorough at all time, because you never know when the train is going to come - and I'll be damned if I let it pass me by.