Route 66: UC Davis

Posted on January 28th, 2010

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While I was in Oakland, I got to see my mom, dad, step mom, god mother, and cousins. It was good to be home. I hadn’t been home in so long that I forgot the house alarm code and it went off. Luckily, my dad answered when I called him and he told me over the phone. I could have got Henry Louis Gates Jred!

UC Davis was a full house despite the rain. They had over 120 RSVPs and over 70 students attended. I think my “OVERSOLD” reminder email 4 hours before the event got people to arrive on time. Sean and his team did a great job marketing. Their number one tool was classroom announcements wearing the Route 66 t-shirts.

Tonight I had some special guest in attendance: My mom, Dwight Taylor, and Chardonnay Harris. My mom and I linked up in Oakland around 2pm and took a slow few hour drive up to Davis because of the crazy rain. It was so interesting because I was in the driver’s seat, but she was still trying to drive and tell me what to do. I had to tell her to sit back and relax. This is exactly what happens in the lives of young adults as many end up driving their parent’s lives instead of their own. Some parents hide behind their kids and give up on their dreams because of their kids, but how can someone tell their kids to follow their dreams when they didn’t follow their own?

A good friend from high school and fellow purposefinder Dwight Taylor also came by. He lives in nearby Fairfield. We recently reconnected via Facebook and we have been inspiring each other. He encourages young Christians to follow their purpose through his music and speaking. It was so good to have him, his wife, and friend, JD, from Australia in attendance.

Finally, one of my SHAPE students from my time at UCLA was also there. I tutored Chardonay when she was in 5th and 6th grade at Audubon Middle School. She was one of our best students. To see her at UC Davis was amazing because that’s what SHAPE was all about. SHAPE is an educational outreach program that specializes in peer advising and homework assistance for youth in Inglewood and Los Angeles. I worked there as a tutor, peer advisor, and assistant site coordinators while I was student at UCLA before going on to become the Director upon graduation.

The energy of the group was live. It felt like everyone was engaged and participating. Every joke landed perfectly. They even laughed at things that were necessarily jokes. Everyone stood up to take Route 66 at the end of the presentation and we took a huge group picture at the end to capture the energy and moment.

On to the next one…