Jackson Free Press

Nathan Hunter III always wanted his son to be a Morehouse man. This fall, he will see that dream come true when his oldest child, Jordan Hunter, attends the nation's only all-male historically black college.

A senior at Lanier High School and a member of the National Honor Society, Hunter received an academic scholarship to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta next year. There, he will walk the same halls that helped educate great African Americans like Martin Luther King Jr., Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson and Maynard Jackson, Atlanta's first black mayor.

Chloe Garth-Elkins, an English teacher at Lanier and the 2011 JPS Teacher of the Year, also helped point Hunter toward Morehouse. She attended Spelman College, a women's college that is part of the Atlanta University Center along with Morehouse.

"She always had a lot of great things to tell me about her experiences at Spelman and meeting a Morehouse man," Hunter says. "Being around other, I guess, intellectual African American people (can) influence you in a positive way."

He says Garth-Elikins told him he would graduate with some of the smartest people he's ever met--maybe the next movie stars or Fortune 500 CEOs--and study with professors who are renowned authors and publishers.

Hunter, a Jackson native, plays the trumpet in the Lanier band and is a member of the tennis team. He said he hopes to continue those extracurricular activities at Morehouse, where he wants to major in business and marketing. He will try out for a talent grant with the Morehouse band in the fall.

After college, Hunter hopes to get a job in the marketing division of a major company to prepare him for his ultimate goal of starting his own business, although he doesn't know yet what he wants that business to be.

With just a few weeks left in his high school career, Hunter says his favorite memories from Lanier are performances in parades and the annual Battle of the Bands with the school band, and running for school government. He was also the second runner-up for Mr. Lanier and participated in the Black History Month program the school did in February, which featured skits and dance routines.

"It was a lot of fun working with the people trying to get the stuff together and put on a performance for our parents," Hunter says.

Hunter lives with his mother, Marie Stuckey, and his two younger sisters, ages 10 and 13. He tried to teach his sisters his love of the trumpet, but they quickly gave up.

"They're bigger on singing and dancing," Hunter says. "We all have some music in our family."

Previous Comments

ID

167662

Comment

Great Choice Mr. Hunter!!! Speaking from experience as I also attended Morehouse, the English teacher is absolutely correct. The crown that Morehouse places over your head challenges you to develop the acumen, intellect, drive, and commitment to community that will serve you for a lifetime of achievement and service. The experience is like no other on the planet, and simply by attending class with some of the greatest minds American undergraduate academia has to offer will inspire you to greatness. "And what's more, you'll be a man, my son" Ridyard Kipling.

Author

Renaldo Bryant

Date

2012-04-25T14:42:14-06:00

ID

167665

Comment

Jordan attends Lanier with my neice. Proud of him! Best wishes. Go for it!

Author

Meredith McGee

Date

2012-04-27T08:27:33-06:00

ID

167676

Comment

I agree with Renaldo Bryant. Morehouse is a "Great Choice". I seak from the experience of being a PROUD mother of a Morehouse graduate.

Author

justjess

Date

2012-05-03T20:52:06-06:00