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"I was given a lot of opportunities to
n and shadow directors for their upcom-
things,” Turner said. "They couldn’t really
e any moves from the professional stand-
:t since I am still in school. That was really
otablish relationships, so that when I do
uate I will have a job opportunity."
Even with all of the opportunities that
happening for him, he still was deter
ged to make sure that he succeeded both
essionally and academically. With all of
.people that were trying to get in contact,
wentually had to shut himself off from the
il.
“There was one point where I had to
my phone off,” Julien said. “I figured a
e part of the reason why I was getting so
th attention was because of the fact that I
lin school and my grades were so high and I
(doing all of this. I figured that if they start-
feclining while all of this was happening I
Id be taking away the reason why I was get-
iChristion Robinso^
ting so much attention, and I wanted to obtain
that.”
Although Turner became an overnight
sensation whose life changed because of the
one video, that’s not all he wants to be known
for. In the fall, there will be a “fraction of an
episode” of Sesame Street that he and his
brother directed and wrote together.
“It was an opportunity we didn’t seek
out at first, and then we realized how universal
that platform would be,” Julien said. “Once we
sought it out and we were given the opportuni
ty, we still didn’t know how big it would be until
we announced it. We’re trying to keep the train
rolling”
Before they were directing for Sesame
Street, Turner and his brother, Justen Turner,
were building their brand Dreadhead Films and
making their own films. Years later, they went
on to make advances in their career.
“If you put any amount of hard work
into it - whether it’s good things or bad things
£
- you’ll eventually reap what you sow,” Julien
Turner said. "These last few months have been
a result of the sowing that I’ve done throughout
high school, filmmaking, or in the classroom or
even on the football field. Finally seeing a lot
of those things panning out and coming into
fruition is encouraging, but I was going to keep
working anyways.”
Ever since being at Morehouse College, Keon
Berry, a Sociology major from Windsor, Con
necticut, has managed to make a name for
himself and turn his dreams into a reality.
From being well-rounded in his academics to
running his self-starter, Berry Academy, Keon
continues to keep moving forward despite the
obstacles that he has to overcome that others
may not see.
“I think a lot of time people see the success
and not the obstacles,” Berry said. “Through
the many successes I’ve had, it’s been ex
tremely progressive because ultimately they
come with adversities. A lot of times the price
for success is adversity because in order to get
to the other side of the mountain you have to
climb the mountain.”
During his freshman year, Keon created Berry
Academy as a platform for social change with
a focus on education for youth. It started off as
a dream that he had that he couldn’t get out
of his head.
“It’s gone even farther than what I’ve expect
ed,” Berry said. “Seeing what it is now, where
it’s going, and the level of support we’ve gar
nered from a number of people inspires us to
keep going.”
Although he initially didn’t think he
had time to do it, Berry realized that it was
something that he was called to do.
“I think of my callings is to make a difference
on a macro-level,” Keon said. “I could run
from it all I want, but eventually it was going
to catch me. It was something that caught me,
something that played into my interest, and
something that’s going to continue to grow.”
Another decision that Berry made was to be
come a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity
Inc. which is an experience he does not regret.
“Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. means every
thing to me,” Berry said. “It’s definitely one of
the best decisions I’ve made in my entire life. I
think my process, the people I’ve encountered,
and the lessons that I learned made me even
better than when I came in.”
Keon was also Director of Freshmen Affairs
on the Student Government Association. Even
with all of these things on his plate, he still
managed to make the right sacrifices.
“I’m always engulfed in what I love, so when
I’m doing what I love it’s so much easier to
sacrifice certain things,” Berry said.
E YEAR OF Ml UNDERDOG
1
WOMAN OF THE YEAR