Honorable Mention Winner
Wilquins Charleston
Valencia Community College
Sophomore in Computer Programming
3.78 GPA

Most college students complain about juggling busy schedules, but they’ve got nothing on Wilquins Charleston of Valencia Community College. During the spring semester of 2003, while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and spending most of his time operating heavy-duty equipment, Charleston, 29, took a three-credit online class in general psychology.

However, the war in Iraq isn’t the only war Charleston has been fighting. He’s well aware that statistics show that almost 15 percent of black male students drop out of school. So, he mentors students in his school to motivate them to graduate. “Part of my mentoring is about listening to each other’s stories and showing empathy and compassion to encourage college students at Valencia Community College not to drop out,” Charleston says. “When I met with mentees, I explained to them consistency was the key. They needed to at least take one or two classes each semester and schedule them around how many hours a week they were working.”

Previous school years have made Charleston a perfect candidate to mentor students on the topic of time management. One school year, he decided to work 70 hours a week and go to school full time. While he says this choice nearly gave him a reason to quit school, he now can use himself as a primary example when mentoring students of Valencia who work and also take a full load of classes. He uses his experience to teach them that it’s possible to continue in school and do well while working full time. So far, he has witnessed at least three of the young male students he’s worked with try harder to succeed and even begin to mentor others. Charleston says their positive response has made him strive even harder.

Last year, he also participated in Valencia’s Teach-In, a national day of volunteer teaching. Charleston taught second-grade students how to manage their time. “Helping others is an exercise, ironically designed to help those who serve,” Charleston says. “In my experience, I believe I’ve gained vastly more than those I’ve set out to mentor and guide.”

But his involvement wasn’t limited to mentoring. During 2004, Charleston was also involved in the Vita Tax Program, where he spent six hours every Saturday from February through April. He completed income tax information for the Osceola County community, students at Valencia, and the Feed the Homeless Program, a volunteer program held by his church, Saint Catherine of Siena, to feed the homeless in Kissimmee. Charleston also acted as a Student Escort, worked for Toys for Tots, and participated in College Night, where more than 500 colleges throughout the country came to Valencia.

“In all of these endeavors, Wilquins has consistently shown a selfless leadership and recognition that his welfare depends on the welfare of others,” says Rand Miller, English professor. “It’s often said that, for sheer survival, civilization must periodically reinvent itself in the face of new challenges and adversities. One form of this reinvention is the effort of a single individual to ‘rise above’ and directly solve the problems of his life and then share these solutions with others.”

Eighty percent of Charleston’s expenses are covered by his full-time job, a part-time job, and his part-time military job. The rest of his expenses are met by scholarship and financial aid.–RG

Contact Charleston at wcharlest@yahoo.com.