INTERVIEW: Miss MeaResea Homer

As a “Back-to-School” special, I wanted to open up my interview series with a student who is on the move and achieving her goals.  Far too often, we are lost in the media madness that portrays the troubles and challenges of young people to a hideous extreme.  Many of the youths who remain positive and productive through the chaos are invisible.  We must remember to acknowledge, appreciate, and inspire them. 

 

MeaResea Homer is a young woman who is on the move in a positive and powerful way.  I had the pleasure of working with MeaResea as a young teen through The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta (East Dekalb), Young Audiences Teen Slam Program, and earlier with AileyCamp Atlanta.  She is a 2015 graduate of Arabia Mountain High School where she was an honor student and member of the National Honor Society. MeaResea was also consistently involved in numerous community service projects while honing her skills in the arts with poetry and performance.  She is now attending Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia majoring in business.

 

The following is my recent interview with her.  If you like what you see, send MeaResea your love and support with a response to the blog and share with others! 

 

Read and be inspired!!! 

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CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR GRADUATION SUCCESS!  Please share what your plans are after high school for the next five or so years.

 

This fall, I will be attending Agnes Scott College, a private, all female, liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. I plan to major in Business Management and minor in Sociology. I do want to attend graduate school to pursue a master's degree in Business Management to further increase my chances of employment in the future. For graduate school, I am looking at out-of-state schools.

 

Many people have specific areas of interests that they pursue, you, however, have a wide range of experience from business to scholarly pursuits and even the arts.  How did you end up developing such a wide range of interests? 

 

I definitely have to credit my various range of interests to my Boys & Girls Club. Being a member there for just about twelve years has really given me leverage to experience nearly every program the club offered. Karate, Oratorical club, 4-H club, girls scouts, basketball, cheer leading, tennis, poetry club—are just some of the few programs and activities where I participated. Every couple of years, I would try something different that sparked my interest. I would keep up with the activities I enjoyed the most as the years progressed.

 

Do you plan to continue pursuing these various interests as a young adult?  If so, describe your ideas of how.

 

I do plan on pursuing many of these various interests. Since the college I will be attending is just fifteen minutes outside the Atlanta area, I'll still be able to do many of the activities I enjoyed during high school. Poetry contests and art festivals are my main interests.  

 

I notice you have quite a bit of community service and volunteer activity on your resume.  How did you become involved with these?  How have such activities helped YOU in other areas of your own life?

 

One of the pillars of Boys & Girls Club is service to the community. For as long as I can remember, I've been involved in services that benefit my community and Club. Being involved in this type of work has humbled me. It also and allows me to continue to realize how truly blessed I am on a daily basis.

 

With so many interests and activities, how do you stay focused?

 

In elementary school, I was required to have an agenda book every year, and now I haven't gone a single year without one! I'm a visual person, so seeing my schedule helps ease my mind and makes me feel more in control. I also make sure to take advantage of days off and cherish time alone in order to reboot from my many activities. And above all, I keep my mind on God and ask him for guidance on a day-to-day basis.

 

Many people feel that talented, successful people never struggle or fail.  What has been your greatest struggle or failure to overcome?

 

I was rejected from my one of my top choice schools—Mercer University. Before I even opened the letter, I already knew. (Most of the time, when receiving college application status letters, the thicker or larger the envelope, the more likely you've received an acceptance letter. Mine was regular-sized and thin.) I wasn't accepted. I was heartbroken. I had got accepted into every school I applied to, except Mercer.

 

At first, I was mad at myself for not being good enough to get into the school. If I only had a better GPA. If I had just taken the ACT one more time.  Those were the thoughts that raced through my mind. But I soon came to realize that this was only a temporary setback. I was accepted into other great schools that gave me amazing opportunities. I still keep my rejection letter as a reminder that even though I may have failed at one thing, I still have other great opportunities.

 

I've also learned to not look at failure in a negative way--now, I look at failures as an opportunity in itself to help me grow as an individual. I didn't lose anything from being rejected; being rejected just diverted my path in a different direction.

 

With so much heartbreaking news in the media, particularly around youth, how did/do you stay focused and positively motivated?

 

Seeing and hearing about everything that's going on in the media these days is just sometimes too much to bear. Thankfully, I have an amazing group of friends and family who are just as equally as motivated and positive as I am. They keep me grounded and sane!

 

Out of all of your interests and abilities, how did you stumble upon poetry and what does poetry do for you?

 

I started writing poetry in the third grade. The Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta publishes a book filled with poetry called The Marel Brown Creative Writing Program. I have been published in the book three times. I have also recently participated in poetry slam competitions. For me, poetry lets me escape into my own world. It gives me a sense of reassurance that I am in control of my own thoughts.

 

What words of inspiration would you have for other young people following behind you?

 

There is nothing you CANNOT do. It is all in your mind. Tell yourself you can, map out a plan, and go for it!

 

Name some of the people you admire and share how they motivated you along your journey.

 

One of my main inspirations since the seventh grade when I read his book, Gifted Hands, has been Dr. Ben Carson. He is a renowned, and recently retired, neurosurgeon, who was the first person to successfully separate the Binder twins who were born conjoined at the back of the head. Being African American, and growing up with a terrible temper, he really had the odds against him. With the persistent wisdom from his mother, he finally took charge of his life; he defied the odds. After I read his story, I was moved and really began to realize that if you want something badly enough, with hard word, routine time, and dedication, anything is attainable for you.

 

Another person I truly admire is my mother. Like Dr. Carson's mom, my mom always reassures me that I too can do anything I want as long as I put my mind to it. She ensures I keep myself motivated and remain true to who I am.

 

MeaResea with her mother and twin sister!

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