The Ghetto Valedictorian

By Willis Major

This book is about how a young boy from the inner city hood was able to defy the odds and become successful. He started off in the wrong direction but with the proper guidance and the blessings from God, he was able to fight through all the bad influences. He was able to stay focused enough to choose a path that would lead him to a better life, instead of staying on the path of self-destruction. Although he did not have the advantages that more well off individuals in the middle class or wealthy had, he did have the loving support of his family and a thirst for learning. So Knowledge became his hustle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Willis Major
• Release date: Mar 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370384037

Willis Major

I was born and raised in the inner city of Rochester, New York. I have an Electrical Engineering degree, MS in Statistics and Finance degree as well. I felt it was important for me to write books that could help people and also provide entertainment. Outside of being an engineer and author, I am also an inventor, business consultant, college instructor, handy man, friend and father. I consider myself a jack of all trades and a master of a few. I have wrote 6 books 1) They Made Me Lust, 2) How To Keep A Man Happy, 3) How Do You Know You Ghetto, 4) What A Real Man Is 5) Imaginary Role Model and 6) The Ghetto Valedictorian.

Book preview

THE GHETTO VALEDICTORIAN

Knowledge Became My Hustle!

By

Willis Major

BUYMAJORBOOKS.COM

Published by

MAJOR SOLUTIONS LLC

MAJOR $OLUTION$

Copyright March, 2 2017 by Willis G. Major

Published on Smashwords

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All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

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First and foremost, I thank God for all his blessings.

Secondly, I thank my parents for nurturing my mind & spirit in the right direction and giving me the love and support I needed.

Lastly, I dedicate this book to my children. The love I have for them inspired me to write this book and to pass on the wisdom I have learned to others while on this difficult journey we call life.

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About This Book

This book is about how a young boy from the inner city hood was able to defy the odds and become successful. He started off in the wrong direction but with the proper guidance and the blessings from God, he was able to fight through all the bad influences. He was able to stay focused enough to choose a path that would lead him to a better life, instead of staying on the path of self-destruction. Although he did not have the advantages that more well off individuals in the middle class or wealthy had, he did have the loving support of his family and a thirst for learning. So Knowledge became his hustle.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

BACKGROUND

BEFORE ELEMENTARY

SUMMER BREAK

FIRST GRADE

FOURTH GRADE & GANGS

FAMILY HEAD LOCKS

WEAPONS & FIGHTS

MORE FIGHTING & FINDING TROUBLE

LEARNING TO STEAL & BEING BAD

THE DARE DEVIL

GUNS

MORE STEALING

GO-CARTS

PICKING CHERRIES

THE FAMILY FEUD

THE NIGHT THEY THOUGHT I DIED

FIRST CONTACT WITH WEED

JUST CALL HIM SLICK

FOOTBALL IN THE HOOD

DICE

SPORTS IN THE STREETS

MAKING SPARE CHANGE AS A KID

SIXTH GRADE

CHURCH

THE BEGINNING OF HIGH SCHOOL

LAST TIME STEALING

POOL HALL

MORE DRUGS

MY FIRST TIME GETTING DRUNK

SKIPPING SCHOOL

TAKING FAMILY CARS

MY FIRST CAR

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

THE RAPPER & THE LAWYER IN ME

MY LAWYER SKILLS ON DISPLAY

APPLYING SLICK SKILLS FOR A BETTER GRADE

THE RAPPER & ENGINEER IN ME

CAMP AID

I DIDN’T LIVE IN THE PROJECTS JUST NEXT DOOR TO THE PROJECTS

LAST FAMILY FIGHT

HIGH SCHOOL PARTIES

HOME COMING KING

SENIOR TRIP

SENIOR ROCK STAR FULL OF OPTIONS

DO YOU DARE DOUBT ME

I DIDN’T LOOK THE CORPORATE PART

OFF TO A MOSTLY WHITE COLLEGE

ADAPTING TO WORK

SECOND THOUGHT ON MY CAREER

LEARNING MANY SKILLS

MOVING ON UP

THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL

THE REBIRTH

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BACKGROUND

Most kids who have big dreams and goals have a solid foundation to base those goals and dreams on. Some kids are fortunate enough to have parents, grandparents, and great grandparents who were rich, owned businesses or were highly educated and could give them that silver spoon in their mouth. Some kids might have aunts, uncles or cousins who have become so successful that they can offer advice and support to help them reach their dreams and goals. Some kids are in an area where friends and neighbors can be the inspiration and support to help them achieve their goals and give them the proper guidance in life. When we come into this world we are born equal. This is what I have always heard but couldn’t understand. How could we be born equal when some kids were born into rich families while others into poor families? How can we be born equal when some kids are born into educated families and others into less educated families? How can we be born equal when some are born to a race that has historically had all the power and influence when others are born into a race with less power and influence? How can we be born equal when some kids are born unhealthy or blind when other kids are born healthy and can see? I wrestled with this for a long time and then one day I began to understand the meaning of the words. I began to understand being born equal means equal in the eyes of God and not about equal in terms of fleshly pleasures. We are born equal in God’s eyes and how we live our life under each circumstance, we are dealt, is what tips the balance of the scales towards good or evil, to make us not equal in the eyes of God, which is all that really matters.

I was born a Black boy in the inner city hood, of Rochester, New York. My grandfather, on my father’s side of the family, was a sharecropper with 9 kids living in Coleman Georgia. My mother’s side of the family lived in Cuthbert Georgia, not too far from my father’s side. My father had to work the field, so he only had a 7th grade education and my mother was the baby girl of the family and was able to finish high school. My father went to work in a paper mill when he got older and then made his way to Rochester, NY and got a job as a cook working for Strong Memorial Hospital for over 35 years. I was born to Willie and May in Rochester, NY. I grew up in Rochester, in the inner city, on the west side of town near Bulls Head Plaza. I grew up on Troup Street, Brown Street, and Reynolds Street for most of my childhood. I played on Eddy Street, Rockland Park, Clifton Street, Wooden Street, Jefferson Avenue, West Avenue, Genesee Street, Main Street and a lot of the other surrounding areas as well. We didn’t have a lot of money and we sometimes had to get hand me down clothes and toys. We were allowed to roam around the neighborhood streets and hangout, without supervision. This may have led us to hanging around the wrong kids, not that we were angels or anything. We didn’t have any highly educated, professional, well off or wealthy people to get any advice from. We were born equal in the eyes of God, but we were born in a disadvantage state and behind the eight ball in the eyes of man. The odds of anyone doing well or making it out of the hood and turning their life around to become very successful were unlikely. Heck, we didn’t know anyone who was Black and very successful. But what we did have is 4 strong male role models who would give us guidance and whip our butt if we did something wrong. My dad and my 3 uncles provided a lot of guidance when we were young and I think every young boy needs strong male role models in their life.

I sometimes reflect back on my life, on where I am now and where I started out in life. I started out on the wrong path in life and got on the right side of the tracks during high school, before it was too late. I was at a disadvantage and I wasn’t supposed to become Valedictorian of my high school, based on the type of mischievous things I was doing as a child. I was mainly hanging with the wrong crowd and too curious about the bad things in life. I was very mischievous as a kid and looking for ways to spend my free time. I started off spending free time by doing bad things and then sports became a better way to preoccupy my time and then I finally got serious about my schooling. God made me smarter than most, so schooling came natural to me and this was a big blessing. If I had struggled, like some did in school, I might have chosen the path of a criminal instead of an educated professional. This book is about my story on how I beat the odds and how I transformed from a ghetto street kid into a mature business professional and Christian man. The Ghetto Valedictorian, title of this book, was the best way I could describe myself in a few words. It allowed me to describe a young disadvantage inner city kid who was doing bad things, but was still able to transform his life and start doing good things. Those few words allowed me to describe a kid who was able to be smart and at the same time still keep it real, by being proud of who he was and where he came from. Some people looked down on the Ghetto, but I embraced the good things from the Ghetto and let go of the bad things. I learned it’s not all about where you come from but about where you are going in life!

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BEFORE ELEMENTARY

When I was one, my aunt gave me a shiny nickel and this must have started my love for money. I took that shiny nickel and I swallowed it. Well that was a dumb idea. I think back to