Beverly T. Gooden - Hampton Short Course 2004

At the tender age of 3, my mother began to teach me how to read and write. An educator at a Christian elementary school, she stressed the importance of reading, writing and grammar. My father bought me books and tablets and encouraged me to go with him to the library. So by the time I entered kindergarten, in Cleveland, I had been promoted to the second-grade reading class. While the other children played games and learned to write A’s on the dotted lines, I was reading about Mark Twain and writing fictional short stories about Teddy Ruxpin and his adventures in my imagination.

My mother is now retired, and my father is a data analyst in a large business. My brother graduates this spring in music performance.

Like the typical college student, I had no idea what to major in when I arrived at Hampton University. At the end of my sophomore year, Professor Doug Smith challenged me to take the Scripps Howard entrance exam. Uninterested in journalism and communications, but never one to turn down a challenge, I moaned and groaned about it, did not study at all and was late to the exam. But a week later, I found out that I had achieved a 91 percent on the entrance exam and was admitted to the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Now, after writing several articles as a contributing writer for the Hampton Script and completing my first book (as yet unpublished), I am sure that journalism is in my blood. My concentration is public relations, and I would like to find a job that would let me plan events, work as a publicist and write.

As I enter my senior year in college, I look back on all of the circumstances in life that would have made great stories. And that compels me to stay on top of my field and work hard to achieve my goals, which include providing the world with significant information. The foundation that my parents set for me as a child will continue to create opportunities in the future. And my faith in God has convinced me that all things truly work together for those who love Him.

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