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t/fr * s . ' jm Lr,V» ' •<«v3Ea t . hv |,y|l I pv' +&£ r *h ■Jr-’SM. ■ r -j 'vy V;* Ik hbt :vi?o62- for two consecutive years and served as “A Candle in the Dark” presenter when he presented Jon py.„; Platt, C.E.O. and Chairman of IJ '% Warner Chappell Music. He served as the Next Great American Poet president for two years in a row and raised roughly KA9|HS&to|£?^'|mEE $6,000 for students at Booker T. (Sal Washington High School in At- lanta. Harris has also conducted workshops at Dunbar Elementa- ^^SSH ry and Washington High to raise literacy rates. He has also been ■pQ awarded a grant and plans to do a Hu. community service project. B? During his time at Morehouse, Kjj Harris traveled to Cuba and con- JK ducted research on how sex work contributes to Cuba’s economy since the economy is heavily supported by tourism. He has also traveled abroad to Belgium HH through the Nation Village pro- ■ gram within the United States Embassy, where he worked as a ■ /^HHI contractor. He developed a cul- tural exchange program with Muslim ^H Harris has been admitted to Co- ■V lumbia, Georgetown and North- ■ western universities for graduate school programs to study educa- tion and technology. This year, he A. Wm was recognized as the top-rank- tal barrier that he has struggled ing scholar in the Psychology de- to overcome. partment and became a member “Even after I accomplish one of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, thing, it’s like, ‘You didn’t do Inc., Alpha Rho chapter, enough’ or ‘You haven’t done Although he is aware that the pro enough. Will you do enough?’ ” fession does not pay well, Harris Harris said. “That mental barrier aspires to become an educator, is stronger than what any man or He is confident that the work will woman can stand in front of you be beneficial and impactful to and say, but at least you have the youth whether he is compensat- ability to discern whether or not ed well or not. He would also like it’s true. When you have the men- to become involved in education tal barrier, you’re telling yourself policy work. He is certain that he that it’s true, and you can’t get has no desire to get involved in over that until you see that it’s politics, however, he will be polit- not true for yourself.” ically active in some manner. Harris, a senior Psychology ma- Harris is confident that being jor from Severn, Maryland, has that candle in the dark is a real accomplished many things since mindset and would like to create beginning his matriculation at positive change for those who will Morehouse. He delivered his first come after him. With the work spoken word poem during col- that he would like to do in edu- lege matriculation and started cation policy, he knows that it is participating in open mic nights, important to educate himself on which led to being more involved the effects of the system and how in public speaking. He was a pil- those forces trickle down to the lar for “Welcome to the House” classroom, during New Student Orientation Best Uchehara When Best Uchehara moved with his family from Nigeria to the United States in 2003, he remembers stuttering, being placed in remedial classes and being scared to talk to others. There was a high possibility that he was not going to graduate from the fifth grade; however, he was promoted to middle school, where he continued to struggle. It was not until he reached high school that he began to excel ac ademically. To become more confident social ly and academically, Uchehara began standing in front of a mir ror every night practicing speech es to assist him in overcoming his speech impediment. During this time, former President Barack Obama was running for office, and Uchehara was fascinated with how well Obama spoke. As someone who has been count ed out before, Uchehara knows what it feels like to be the under dog and empathizes with others who feel as though they are the underdog. He believes he has done well academically since first immigrating and has embraced the challenges he faced. He has taken opportunities to mentor and tutor students in biology or other majors because he loves the feeling of helping someone understand the course content. Biology is extremely difficult and Uchehara knows that students have to lean on each other to do well. “I think Black boys in general ar en’t supposed to make it,” Uche hara said. “That’s why debate is so important to me. We step in and we’re the only Black guys in the room, but we walk in knowing that we’re capable.” Uchehara, a senior Biology major from I mo State, Nigeria, won a national award with Keith Mattier their sophomore year. He was also a quarterfinalist in a tournament this academic year. Through his involvement with the debate team, he has traveled to Greece, Paris, Mexico and Jamaica. Be ing a member of the debate team has given him the opportunity to travel with his brother and friends THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG WOMAN OF THE YEAR