The world is the domain of college freshmen world wide, especially in the realm of Black society for HBCU students.
In the cases of Clark Atlanta University freshman Mariah Parks and Morehouse College freshman Evan Clay Hudson, their paths to becoming professionals who bring impact and change to society come from two vastly different backgrounds. Parks is from a smaller Southern town of LaGrange, Georgia, where she hopes to one day return to help and inspire the younger generation once she enters the field of law. Hudson hails from New Jersey and he’s continuing the legacy as the ninth member of his family to attend Morehouse, he has the demeanor of a man of Morehouse from the moment he introduces himself.
Recently, rolling out stopped by the Atlanta University Center Consortium and caught up with both students.
What has your first semester at the AUC been like?
Mariah Parks: It’s been smooth so far. I like everybody and all the teachers, but I’m just beginning.
Evan Clay Hudson: I’m definitely enjoying my time. I’m trying to strike a balance between getting out socially, but also find a time for the purposes of me being here, which is to develop my consciousness and develop this understanding of myself and where I stand in the world as a Black man.
What went into your decision of attending an HBCU?
Mariah Parks: My whole life, I was in school with a bunch of White people. It was nothing wrong with that, but I just felt like it was always more that I could know and learn about my environment, so I came to an HBCU. And I wanted to go to Clark since I was in ninth grade.
Evan Clay Hudson: For me, it’s similar to Mariah, the point about learning about other people and learning about other people’s cultures for most of my academic career.
My decision to choose an HBCU is important because it was me taking the actual official steps and saying, “I’m going to learn about myself, I’m going to read about myself, I’m going to write about myself, I’m going to think about who I am.”
What do you want to do after this?
Evan Clay Hudson: I’m an English major.
I want to use my tools in writing to express and tell stories about other people. During my time here, I want to flesh that out.
Whether that’s going into art, philosophy, just other ways I can funnel my writing. For school, I want to go to Howard to get an MFA in writing, and then possibly pursue a PhD as well. I want to find ways to expand what I’m writing about, a topic that I’m understanding and grappling with.
Mariah Parks: I’m a criminal justice major, so after this, I do want to go to law school and become a criminal defense lawyer and help those who have been wrongfully incarcerated. I’d like to be someone on the legal team helping out.
