boardrooms with multi billionaires and
get inspired and motivated one-on-one
with people such as Richard Branson I
was an at-risk student before had an
opportunity to speak to hundreds and
thousands of at-risk students as a
motivator I was an at-risk student just
like them with a dream and that dream
was to go to college get a big round of
applause for all the college graduates
were here well another for me to go to
college I had to be ready had to be
empowered and had to determine but I
wasn’t a hundred percent on readiness I
wasn’t a hundred percent of empowerment
and I wasn’t 100% on determination
readiness there’s a big problem today in
today’s schools especially with minority
students failing tests over and over and
over again I’m a living testament the
first time I took my acct test I failed
it second time I taking my agency test I
felt it but the third time i took my ATT
test i I felt it again
I love that part of the story by show of
hands how many people in this room have
experienced failure in their life got
one person who did read in here say
money save all of you when we experience
failure sometimes people say that we
drop the we drop the ball sometimes we
drop the ball of an unexpected
circumstances arise in our life
sometimes we drop the ball once again
raise your hand if you ever drop the
ball in life okay one raise your hand if
you rarely ever drop the ball you’re
excellent you know you do a great job
got one person over it my first over
here well yeah sometimes we have
unexpected events where we dropped the
ball and life we drop the ball uh we
have unexpected events did you guys
expect that did some people drop the
ball when we drop the ball we need
determination because when we drop the
ball we get discouraged we feel like I’m
not good enough I’m not worthy I don’t
think I can make it I felt the same way
because I kept building the AC T test
over and over and over again I wasn’t
ready and I was somewhat determined i
said i try it one more time the first
time i filled it the second time I field
in the third time I oh you got it this
time and guys you know what even a
fourth time I filled it again some
people are laughing at me oh my gosh
it’s okay because I had people really
laugh at me and tell me you know Travis
you’re not smart enough um your mom
makes twenty thousand dollars a year
your dad didn’t go to college neither
that either your brothers are your
sisters go to college and get master’s
degrees on dr. degrees I don’t think you
can do it either you’re a failure
because of the first time second time at
third time what makes you think you’re
going to pass it on the fourth time look
at your track record look at your
background you’re an african-american
male you have the lowest acct scores in
the nation
you can’t make it and I began to believe
those stereotypes well maybe I just get
a job and just not try to go to college
maybe I allow some of the generational
curses of not going further than a high
school education I just accept it this
is my family this is my life and I’ll
just do that but certain people get into
our life I call them empowerment people
and they help us stay in power they give
us a sense of belonging they give us a
sense of worth in a sense of value so
everybody give me an e give me em p w/e
o M e.n.t everybody said if i were there
that feels good that feels good
empowerment is so crucial and ensuring
the success of at-risk students moving
from at risk to action in their life
breaking the barriers of disbelief
breaking the barrier saying to myself i
can’t make it to San I can make it it
takes one person in your life to make
that difference that one person for me
was my uncle now first of all you gotta
say well watch this guy sounding like
he’s cheering me on like a cheerleader
somebody that you know my uncle was a
cheerleader and some of you guys
ironically even am in here we’re chillin
at some point I’m raise your hand man if
you were a cheerleader at some point I’m
okay most of the guys I raising in some
overnight will never improve the guys
who didn’t ring the hammer prove me
wrong he’s at the 40 the 30 the 20 the
10 touchdown yeah you were leading the
cheer you were being a cheer leader
you’re relieving the cheer of someone
reaching their goal and ironically was
your favorite football team but what if
at-risk students had somebody who
leading the cheer you fell the first
time you felt the second thought you
feeling the third time and the fourth
time you failed again great cheerleader
they stick with you no matter how many
games you lose you know extra favorite
football team no matter how many times
the game how many games they lose the
chilis I always did there cheering him
on cheer him on my uncle was that person
who kept cheering me on believe it not
he called me dr. Travis starting at 12
years old I was like that like hey dr.
Travis is coming and my uncle actually
was a pastor and a police officer and he
would let me come to the church and he
always say hey guys we got dr. Travis
coming up he’s gonna do some things for
the kids and all that it was something
funny I really felt like about her I
felt inspired I felt a sense of value a
sense of worth hey he’s calling me a
doctor and although he was not my
biological father he was a surrogate
father for me sometimes those key
players in our life those encouragement
people may not be our family members and
some of them may not even have the same
skin color as us they may not even have
the same economic background as us but
they motivate us and they’re a firm as
they cheer us on here’s another
important concept think about this in
May 2017 or even in June there will be
hundreds and even thousands of high
school graduates going to the graduation
day going to an arena they have on a cap
in their gown and after the graduation
ceremony after the processional there
will be people come up say I knew you
can make it all this time I was
believing in you but they would never
there see certain people become
cheerleaders once you have already
reached your goal they hop on the
bandwagon what everybody else is on the
bandwagon ironically even some of these
students parents who were not there they
come up to the graduation says
I’m so proud of him I you did it and
those are the simple where were you when
I felt the felt the felt and I wanted
those new sneakers right but they’re
cheering you on it’s easy to cheer for
at-risk student or someone who’s in
transition and it does something they’re
gonna make it it’s easy to cheer for
them once they reach to go very easy
think about the people who we cheer for
once they have made it my uncle didn’t
do that he said I’m going to cheer you
on Travis no matter what you’re going
through so he became a great children in
my life the second thing Michael did was
he became a great counselor now I had
some issues when I was in Middle School
in high school I was actually I’m
actually fairly short right and so I
ended up ironically getting into track
and I would love to do this particular
relay which was doing the high jump so
short guy trying to do the high jump
they’ve always set this really nice high
bar and I would have to just run over to
the side the about a half semi-circle
semi circle and then jump right on over
and then lean back right so I remember
one of my first track meets where had an
opportunity to hi John now i can jump
pretty high but it had some people over
here on the side there were two guys
here at the dope man and they were
laughing it like this guy really
believes he’s going to cross this bar
look I’m sure the end it was laughing my
uncle was over to the side he was like
watch this watch this he’s like Travis
don’t focus on them you can do it stay
focus and so here I go slow motion I’m
going around I’m going around and the
bar is set is higher than my height it
looks like I’m not going to make it at
all it looks like it’s too big for me
and I jump up and go right on over and
leave back and boom they’re like oh my
gosh oh but that was so cool that’s so
cool they became my cheerleaders see
some people they might not like you
right now they may second-guess your
ability but
I guarantee you if you stay focused they
will become your cheerleaders as well
that all right the second thing among
cadet other than cheerleading he did
counseling he began to listen to me
begin to understand what was going on to
my life not only should speak into
people’s life in via chilly but should
be a counselor a listener okay um have
effective listening skills at risk
students and other for them to go from
at risk to action they need not only
people to speak to them but also people
to listen to them my uncle wet listen in
order to locate my different needs you
know there were some times where it
guess what we didn’t have enough money
to pay a light bill sometimes but guess
what uncle will listen not only listened
but locate things and guide me towards
resources guy towards resources this is
really important this concept of
listening in order to locate to point
people towards resources cuz I
experience that when I was a school
counselor I’m flashing forward until my
life um I am in a master’s program and
I’m learning how to become a school
counselor hmm oh god I delay I learn how
to become a school counselor and my
professor says drivers you have 15
minutes for 14 minutes and 59 seconds I
did most of the talking I did all the
talking and my professor says any trauma
center I said did you see that did you
see how good I live did you see did you
see that he says yeah I saw that it was
terrible what do you mean did you hear
when I said to the student she said
Travis you did more talking than listen
she says great counselors do more
listening than talking how can you
locate their needs if you’re doing more
talking than they are how can you point
them in the right direction if you’re
doing more talking than they are I
learned a very important lesson during
that day and I begin to understand what
my uncle will even take time to just say
Travis you can knit to me if you need to
scream go ahead and scream I’m just here
to listen to you listening is a form of
empowerment
my uncle had a busy schedule but he cut
out time just to listen to me and so
important that we take a little bit of
time but every time we have left just to
listen to somebody by him listening to
me he was able to understand some of the
dangers that were about their career of
my life I was an at-risk blackmail I
loved hip-hop music and i also got
involved with hanging around drug
dealers I had one of my mentors becoming
he was a drug dealer and I remember him
teaching me how to sell crack cocaine so
imagine have a 17 year old he’s
consistently felon test failed state
test failing a CT test doesn’t doesn’t
really believe you can go to college
feels like he’s done and he’s hanging
around someone who’s making thousands of
dollars within the day I really wanted
to be like this particular person it was
until I got to a point where I was
pulled over by the police pistol in the
car it didn’t belong to me drugs and the
police officer found five thousand
dollars in a rubberband and my friend
who was the drug dealer he got in
handcuffs but right before that he gave
me 25 thousand dollars he says Travis do
not bail me out I deserve this and the
police officer says yep you deserve this
too you’re supposed to be in his car
with him as for the transition point in
my life I had an opportunity to go back
home not everybody has that same
opportunity had an opportunity to still
pursue college in my dreams not every
average child has an opportunity but
what make the difference between me and
the other at-risk students what
made a difference between me going from
at risk to action from those students
just being at risk and accepting the
label that was the empowerment that
received my uncle see if we have more
people like my uncle maybe less students
especially our at-risk black males may
be less will be going to police cars
right now maybe 10 less students maybe
100 less students and maybe even a
thousand less student by having that one
person in their life to pull them back
from the different dangers so by him
listening to me he knew I was getting
around around crowd says Travis I’m
gonna do something for you I’m gonna
take it up to another level I be your
cheerleader I’ve been your counselor
when I’m going to be a coach and
coaching is different between
cheerleading counseling because coaches
give you access to what they have they
let you wear their brand they put you a
part of that team so after that
experience he gave me this key and this
was the key to the church dr. Tom 17
year old with the key to the church
what’s going to happen now I would go
into the church and i started doing
something ironic i began to teach myself
how to play the piano I would teach
myself nope from note from note from
note and every time ironically this key
says access I had access to go into the
church note from note for note black and
white keys created the most color of my
life I had the ability to take black and
white keys and create color I could
create something I have nothing I begin
to listen to different songs and I get
his plan in a matter of seconds I could
hear it I began to to my ear and so my
uncle has my coat she says no matter
what you’re going through Travis you can
come to the church and you can practice
that piano
by me learning how to play the piano it
gave me a way of escape from being out
in the streets gave me a way of escape
if I wasn’t doing too good in school
that particular time or maybe I can play
the piano and kind of get certain things
off my mind that skill expanded my mind
I had the ability to learn more in math
class learn more in English class
because my brain began to expand my
capacity began to stretch in order to
receive information because of all the
cheerleading and affirmation that I was
getting and all of the counseling that I
was getting of people listening to me I
became greater in my mind I became
greater in my heart my heart became
bigger I began to receive more love
therefore I could give more love I began
to receive more information therefore I
could get about more information so now
I’m in the fourth quarter of this
transition and my uncle is coaching me
he says okay I know you don’t have
enough to pay for the acct test come
over to the house I must fight my credit
card and I pay for the test and that’s
what he did not only that I know you
don’t have internet come over to my
house you can use my computer that’s
what he did great coaches they provide
you with accessing resources they let
you wear their brand they make you one
of their own even called me his son so
I’m taking my acct since this time my
mind and stretch I have a greater
capacity I have a lot more information I
have the heart and I even wrote this
song during this time for my last time
I’m gonna take this test guys it was
called I have the mind and the muscle
got declined in the hustle got the heart
of a champion yeah said I got the mind
muscle crime hustle the heart of a
champion I can’t stop until the casket
drop no I won’t stop it to the casket
drop no I wrote my own lyrics and I
began to walk on my own words instead of
the words of my friends instead of the
words of social media instead of the
words of
stereotypes of young black males trying
to achieve the goal of getting into
higher education I walked on my own
words in a very cool way on the seventh
passed the test and when I passed the
test I remember calling my uncle and I
said oh god oh my gosh here we go I got
the scholarship letter I passed the test
and I received in eighty thousand dollar
scholarship room books board and tuition
paid for the only thing I paid for was
copied out of the coffee machine and
we’re still working on that right now
uh-huh we’re getting that squared away I
received that scholarship through David
and and Hicks have a wonderful family
whose continue to empower me I had an
opportunity through them to meet Richard
Branson and get inspired by
entrepreneurs and people who are
visionaries inspirational leaders once
again my mind began to stretch and my
heart began the stretch I begin to
receive more information and I begin to
receive more love from people my
readiness was increasing and my
determination was increasing because my
empowerment was increasing people
cheering for me people counseling me and
also people coaching me let me wear
their brand saying you can be a part of
me this is my first billboard at the age
of 20 years old with three students in
whom I became a cheerleader a counselor
and a coach for they began to use the
same skill of writing lyrics and they
created a song for the National
Everglades where we actually had a
chance to create the first rap video for
the Everglades hanging out with
alligators and they gave us this awesome
billboard as you see right here and
there that time to students knew that
they could write positive hip-hop music
write positive hip-hop there
because guess what I had the opportunity
to do it myself my uncle even took it
upon himself to expand and we invested
$10,000 and actually got a music studio
in our church so those same students had
an opportunity when they had things
going on that were dangerous such as
selling drugs or even getting involved
in violence they would come to the
church and write music just like I did
it had a safe place to go by my uncle
being an empowerment person I became
that person now so what happens when you
increase your empowerment your readiness
increases your determination increases
and it overflows in the lives of others
this is why it’s important for you to do
the same for other people it can flow
over into other people’s lives here are
my two beautiful twins TJ and Bella
that’s Bella on the Left TJ on the right
and here’s miss mr. and mrs. Hicks and
not only I was able to empower students
in my community I was also be able to
empower my own children as a father I
was able to tell them that they could be
ready in power and determined to and
give them the love and Ethan provide for
them like I really wanted to hear is TJ
Bella not only when I graduate for my
bachelor’s but even when I graduated
with my master’s degree and they
actually I have the hat on but they wore
to have more than idea that day and TJ
and Bella are now having an opportunity
on night at six years old they’re
actually helping other students learn
how to read because they know how to
read already and they’re helping other
students get empowered they’re becoming
cheerleaders if I’m incoming counselors
and becoming coaches so this doesn’t
just pertain to a certain age level this
doesn’t just pertain to a certain type
of demographic of skin color this
doesn’t just pertain to your economic
status everybody should play a part in
empowering another person in your life
you could be a cheerleader you could be
a counselor you can be a coach for
anybody here’s one of my new coaches in
my life this is the visionary behind the
st. John Townsend his name is Paisley
Baldy Paisley boney put me in one of his
articles and said
inspired by me see when you become a
cheerleader Council on the coach other
people say I want to help you because
you are helping other people and this is
the way life should be helping others so
that other people will want to help you
help more help other people so how can
you empower others well think about that
one person that’s in your phone right
now that you haven’t been a great
cheerleader for counselor coach you said
you know what maybe back to give this
person is a little more affirmation
today it may be somebody in your phone
so you know what I want to listen to
this person a little bit more to hear
what they have going on it may be an
at-risk student who in your neighborhood
if we can cheer for a football game or
we can be excited about things we see on
TV we can be excited about our students
who are going to be the future of our
nation in the future of our world we
want to begin to empower others because
guess what if we empower others less
people will drop the ball thank you so
much enjoy this may be one less person
Oh c.carter one less person will drop the ball thank you so much