Clayton Davis, Wiley College- c/o 2015, Criminal Justice with a Concentration in Juvenile Justice
Name : Clayton Davis
HBCU : Wiley College
Graduation Year : 2015
Major : Criminal Justice with a Concentration in Juvenile Justice
Minor : Criminology
Email : inklab2k14@gmail.com
Where are you from? Who introduced you to HBCUs?*
I am from Los Angeles California.
Understanding and knowing how blessed you are that you have no choice but to be a blessing to others by taking the altruistic approach towards mankind.
Why did you choose an HBCU over a pwi?*
I actually attended a PWI before I attended a HBCU, I winded up losing my football scholarship due to unforeseen circumstances and upon that incident I moved back to Los Angeles.
Once back in LA my mom and dad asked what my plans were, at that point in time I didn’t know I was lost confused and undecided. Me going to a HBCU was never my plan but once I got out of jail it was an option that was made available to me.
What is the story of your "experience" at Your HBCU given its heralded status as a stellar and prestigious institution?*
My experience man o man honestly during my tenure at my alma mater it had its bitter sweet moments, but it also showed me that in certain moments it can be survival of the fittest because there were moments in time that I wanted to quit due to the professionalism of faculty and staff where as us as students needed the guidance and assistance from them but they were just as lost as us as students were.
In that moment though I realized that I had to hold myself accountable for my actions leading up to being successful at my HBCU. So that meant I had to cross my T’s and dot my I’s on everything because I learned that if I didn’t it was out of sight out of mind type of ordeal but it was my journey so it was my responsibility.
"First time" experiences at your HBCU?*
First time experiences at my HBCU, hmmmm now are we talking good experiences, or bad experiences lol but honestly my first time experience at my HBCU I say would be chapel Tuesday’s!!!!
Everyone would get up and get dressed for chapel and next thing you know after chapel you have students running from chapel to the cafe for that good ol chicken Tuesday’s OMG you would think that they were giving away a million dollars as packed as the cafe was on Tuesday’s lol!!!
Who are the professors that have impacted your life in and out of the classroom? How did they do that?*
Dr. Michael Champion, Dr. Innis Addison, Dr. Calvin Lester, Dr. K. Beaton, Prof. Elizabeth Ford, Dr. D. Blacklock
The reason for my livelihood as a man morals and values are instilled in you at a young age you are a representation of the ones who are responsible for your upbringing. My mother and father
What adversities (hardships) have you overcome to become the strong person that you are?
My adversities and hardships that I have overcome were growing up in the streets of LA influenced by society and gang culture. Being a gang banger and growing up in the streets having to see friends lose their lives behind a block and or color that we didn’t own or have any ties too we were just immature and ignorant and had no real understanding to what we were doing!!!
Now that I’m older and wiser and way more mature I have realized that it’s way more to life than the blocks you grow up on, the world is way bigger than what we assume and imagine but we were so closed minded and uninformed that we made excuses on what and why we were doing what we were doing.
All in all though I have grown and overcome those circumstances to where as now I am a mentor and motivational speaker for the Steve and Marjorie Harvey foundation where I encourage youth of our generation through my life experiences and stories.
Who was your greatest influence in your life growing up? And Why?
My father who instilled in me at a young age morals and values as well as helped me understand that as a individual who stands on his or her own you don’t need validation or clarity from others to be what God has created you to be, you have your own mind for a reason!!!
What type of household did you grow up in?
My house hold I grew up in was one where my mother and father were elderly and they showed me the real definition of unconditional love and the true definition of companionship.
My father and mother have been married for 38+ years and counting and when I say they are holding strong, they are holding strong no matter the differences at times you will never know because they don’t believe in public display of humiliation or arguing or nothing their motto is you love in public and you solve issues behind closed doors.
When and how did you discover your passion in life?
I discovered my passion in life when I was introduced to the Steve and Marjorie Harvey foundation where I began mentoring young men, and I would see that with some of these young men I was helping I used to be exactly like them, so in that instance I knew my calling was to give back through my experiences and situations faced with in life to show them that there is hope when you feel that you can’t overcome your circumstances.
What's your take on life (in the philosophical sense)?
In life you have to take things as they come and understand that life is Life and the only way to change your life is if you change your mindset because my thing is when you change your mindset you change your world, is life easy no indeed not but in the end it’s all on you and how you adapt and make the change for greater good!!!!
If you could only speak two sentences to the youth coming after you what would you say?
Live your life as a youth and don’t rush!!!
Everything you do, do it with God on your heart.
Entrepreneur? Tell us about your business.
Non profit: Last Of A Dying Breed Ent.
Founded August 2011 as a forefront for inner city youth of urban and rural areas of our communities that people tend to look over or past when it comes to contributions and giving back.
I decided to introduce my non-profit to my community because I saw the need for being more involved in my community to help build self-value, self-esteem, and self-worth. It takes a village to raise a child but when there is no village for a child to look too then what do you do?
You become the change you want to see in your community!!!!
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Wiley College
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Students: 1,400
- Athletics: Wiley College is part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, and track & field. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, track & field, volleyball, and cheerleading.
- Notable Alumni: Lois Towles 1933 Internationally renowned concert pianist** James L. Farmer, Jr. 1938 U.S. civil rights leader** Daryl Joy Walters 2014 Politician**
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