By Lynnese Bland
FSU Sports Information Student Assistant
If you browse through the art galleries, you will find some of the world's greatest artists and their masterpieces. Upon inspection, you will find DaVinci's Mona Lisa and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. What you won't find is a group of artists whose works go unnoticed, except by educators. The works of such talented individuals will not be found in places like the Louvre or the Vatican. You won't find their works in the local museum. On most campuses, their accomplishments go overlooked, and most newspapers will not mention or give them the recognition that they deserve. Who are these unsung heroes? W.E. B. Dubois and Ida B. Wells said that they are the boys and girls of tomorrow. I am referring to the gifted student athletes and the student athletic support staff that march down the path of difficulty to the beat of a different drum.
They are the leaders, the achievers, the future. They are the student athletes who didn't stop when the cheering ended. These are the honorable few that blended sacrifices with determination to reach the success, making the most skeptical take a second look. Tradition saturates their blood. They are examples of the thousands of so-called "jocks" who are excelling in the classroom, and setting the foundation for all-encompassing athletes. They are Reeshemah Parkinson, 1997 NCAA North Carolina Woman of the Year; Schavonne Brown, 1999 NCAA Fayetteville State University's Woman of the Year; Monica Jacobs, 1999 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Scholar athlete and the National Black Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees (NBCFAE) Scholarship recipient; Jacqueline Batchelor, 1999 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Internship Grant recipient; and Samuel Hairston, Jr., Burger King Scholar Athlete and also the 1999 Sheridan Broadcasting Network (SBN) Adidas America Black College All-American - to name a few.
Driven and dedicated, they have shattered the image of the care-for-nothing athletes. These information-age athletes find themselves giving service to humanity while balancing the rigorous demand of the athletic and academic worlds. They are the student athletes involved in service to the community, working as elementary tutors, and in after-school programs.
At Fayetteville State University, 43 academically talented student athletes have passed in review. With eyes aglow, Keemia Hurst, Tammy Brown, Jennifer Hardison, Bianca Ellis, Demarco Jeter, and other scholars pass on the path toward greatness. Their names will never appear in any record book. Perhaps, after graduation, we will forget them. Regardless, their dreams are just as real as those of other students. Repeatedly, they speak of pursuing careers that involve service to their communities. They see themselves as doctors, scientists, journalists, and dancers. They want to be the movers and motivators.
These student athletes at Fayetteville State University have defied expectations. They are the students with the power to move and make the world a better place. The students mentioned, are just a few of the 43 student athletes who are balancing their academic and athletic schedules to be productive members of society. They are beautiful examples of the thousands of student athletes in our higher education institutions with the "right stuff."
The biggest challenge for these achievers and for the Chancellor's scholars lies ahead as they prepare to leave college and face the world that is waiting to fill their dream world with potholes. The real world is willing to let them know that the dreams they envision are always under construction. Nevertheless, no matter what profession they choose, they will succeed because they have already taken the first step: They have learned how to manage people and resources to become vanguards of a better society.