Culture
From Homeless To Full Ride To Harvard
Richard “Tre” Jenkins was always considered to be a bookworm. So much, the trait used to get him teased by his peers, with bullies calling him “Harvard”.
Richard “Tre” Jenkins was always considered to be a bookworm. So much that the trait used to get him teased by his peers, with bullies calling him “Harvard”.
Well Jenkins lived up to his name because he is now going to Harvard. He was not only accepted into the prestigious Ivy league university, but he’s going on a full ride.
Richard “Tre” Jenkins story
But life wasn’t always roses for Jenkins, who experienced a period of homelessness while growing up.
Jenkins recalled feeling embarrassed by his circumstances.
“In the sixth grade, one time I was walking from school with my friend, and he was asking me where I lived because his house was right around the corner from where we were. The shelter looked like a big house—it could have been a mansion. So I told him, ‘Yeah, that’s my house right there’ because I was so embarrassed to say I lived in a shelter,” Richard told WHYY.
“But that’s when I realized I’ve got to buckle in because I can’t have my potential kids going through what I’m going through now.”
Health challenges
The teen persevered and worked hard at school even as he had to struggle with migraines that often left him hospitalized for weeks at a time.
“My migraines started in the eighth grade because of all of the stress I was dealing with at the time. There was a lot of pressure to get into high school and succeed. And then my dad had a heart attack. In the summer of the eighth grade it got really bad,” he said.
“I got hospitalized; they put me on every medicine they had. But I was eventually able to fight through it and get my work done, because at the end of the day, that was what was the most important to me.”
His work ethic
He was honored for his work ethic, being selected as valedictorian for his school’s graduation. The teen attends Girard College, a boarding school in North Philly, that is a full-scholarship prep school for disadvantaged students.
Still, while demonstrating he was Harvard material, he almost didn’t apply.
“There’s a lot of places I didn’t think possible—including Harvard,” he admitted.
“I don’t know, I guess I just thought: ‘I’m black. And I’m not that smart.’”
Set for Ivy League
Turns out, Jenkins is more than smart enough, and he got the good news while on a school trip in Paris. “It’s been such a crazy road here,” he said.
“We were in Paris for a spring break educational trip,” he told WHYY.
“I set the tabs on my computer for all the Ivy League schools I had applied to, checked Penn; I got wait-listed. I checked Yale and I got denied. In the back of my head I’m already thinking, ‘Okay, Harvard’s going to deny me too.’ And then I open up the Harvard tab and there’s a link to a video saying, ‘Welcome to the class of 2022.’ I was talking to my girlfriend; I threw my phone!”
Richard will be studying computer science, with hopes of creating a “more intuitive Siri.”
And as for the bullies, well Jenkins gets the last laugh.
Congratulations Richard “Tre” Jenkins!
Black Excellence
Inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood® Awards
Hosted by Clifford “Method Man” Smith, the star studded event premiered March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
Get a look inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards.
Hosted by Clifford “Method Man” Smith, the star studded event premiered March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
About ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards
The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honors women who are making their undeniable mark in film and television and amplifies their strides in defining what it means to be a Black woman in Hollywood.
Honorees
This year’s honorees and entertainment industry trailblazers include Academy Award nominated actress & Grammy Award winner, Danielle Brooks, six-time Grammy nominated singer and leading-actress Halle Bailey, acclaimed screenwriter and showrunner of All American, All American: Homecoming and Found, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and industry powerhouse & President of Original Programming for STARZ, Kathryn Busby.
Check out some photo highlights inside the 17th ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards
-
- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Shavone Charles attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
-
- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Loni Love attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
-
- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Halle Bailey attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
-
- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Halle Bailey attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
-
- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Nkechi Okoro Carroll attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
-
- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Danielle Brooks attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
-
- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: (L-R) Danielle Brooks, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and Kathryn Busby attend the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
-
- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Host Method Man speaks onstage during the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
-
- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: (L-R) Joey Badass, Gail Bean, Patina Miller, Kathryn Busby, Brandee Evans, Da’Vinchi and Shannon Thornton onstage during the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
-
- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Patina Miller attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
-
- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Tamera Mowry attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
-
- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Boris Kodjoe attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
For more, please visit http://www.essence.com/bwih2024
Culture
U.S. Virgin Islands Announces the Performance Line-up for St. Thomas Carnival Village Featuring Shaggy, Sizzla, Patrice Roberts, and Machel Montano
The Village will be headlined by Caribbean superstars Shaggy, Patrice Roberts, Sizzla Kalonji, Kes, and Machel Montano, who will kick off the six-night free Village concerts on Monday, April 29.
The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism and Division of Festivals has announced the performance line-up for the 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village.
72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village
The Village will be headlined by Caribbean superstars Shaggy, Patrice Roberts, Sizzla Kalonji, Kes, and Machel Montano, who will kick off the six-night free Village concerts on Monday, April 29.
“The anticipation around this year’s St. Thomas Carnival is at an all-time high, and the Village night performers reflect the continued influence and growth of our territory’s three carnivals,” exclaims USVI Department of Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte.
Center Stage
Adam O, Rudy Live, Temisha, Karnage, Blind Earz, VIO International, and Spectrum Band are among the performers who will take center stage to represent the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Every year, our goal is to pay homage to the vast Virgin Islands and Caribbean culture that is at the cornerstone of these annual celebrations for natives and visitors alike,” added USVI Division of Festivals Director Ian Turnbull.
Haitian kompa band VAYB and Dominican salsa orchestra Chiquito Team Band will provide a cross-cultural immersion of sound, highlighting the diverse musical interests of Virgin Islands residents.
First-time performers
Rounding out the village are a few first-time performers in the territory, including TeeJay, Jada Kingdom, and Kollision Band, and returning favorites Edwin Yearwood and Krosfyah, and Grandmasters.
Kids Night Out Village Night
This year, the Division of Festivals will host its first Kids Night Out Village Night, with activities including the Toddlers Derby, Best Dressed Doll, and performances by TMK and OTB.
More information on 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village
For up-to-date information about the 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival, visit https://www.instagram.com/usvifestivals/.
Culture
Online romances get a dose of reality in OWN’S all-new love & relationship series ‘The Never Ever Mets’
Hosted by Ta’Rhonda Jones, this 10-episode series features seven couples who have been virtually dating for some time and believe they may have found lasting love – only they have never met each other in person.
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has announced an all-new relationship series that takes online dating into the real world, The Never Ever Mets.
About The Never Ever Mets Series
Hosted by Ta’Rhonda Jones, this 10-episode series features seven couples who have been virtually dating for some time and believe they may have found lasting love – only they have never met each other in person! Now, they’re meeting face-to-face for the very first time and sharing a house together for three weeks to see if their internet love can survive off the screen and in real life.
Synopsis
As all seven couples convene under the same roof, dating in person rather than through their computers or phones quickly proves to be the biggest challenge yet.
While many couples have been years in the making, some quickly find the in-person relationship is not what they anticipated.
To test the strength of their love connections, the group participates in a series of fun and flirty relationship activities, couples therapy and for some, a trip to the “boom boom room.” But visits from discerning loved ones, meddling opinions and tension from others in the house challenge their bonds even further. At the end of their stay, some will go home together…and some will be signing off for good.
Premiere
The series premieres on Friday, April 19 at 8pm ET/PT, on the OWN Network.
Check out the trailer below:
Gymnast Morgan Price becomes the first HBCU athlete to win national collegiate title
Paramedic involved in Elijah McClain’s death sentenced to probation, work release and community service
5-year-old helps save his family from house fire
Honor student killed by stray bullet while visiting Delaware State University
Former high school athletic director arrested and charged with using AI to frame principal
Marine from Massachusetts goes missing off coast in Puerto Rico
Former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis dies at 35
Magnitude 4.8 earthquake strikes northeastern United States
After more than 60 years, a championship HBCU men’s basketball team visits White House
Legendary DJ Mister Cee passes away
KevOnStage’s “Churchy” coming to BET+
Garrett Morris to be honored with star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame
BLK Dating App launches “New Year, Real You: #RealNotPerfect” campaign to empower Black women in 2024
Marlena Shaw, legendary jazz singer, dies at 81
2023 saw a record year of killings by police in U.S.
- Mental health conference coming to Brookdale Community College in June
- N.J. Congressman Donald Payne Jr. dies at 65
- Odessa Dangler, one of the first Black, female entrepreneurs in Long Branch, passes at 87
- In Loving Memory : Renée McMillan (1963 – 2024)
- Carl Jennings, former Long Branch recreation director, dies at 76
- MyCompiledThoughts – “Soul Brother, Chapter 1” EP
- Brittany Davis debuts autobiographical album ‘Image Issues’
- TEENEAR Unwraps Sultry R&B Single and Music Video for the Holidays: ‘LONELY AT CHRISTMAS’ feat. Ronnie V
- sOuL from the O – “Family Tree”
- Yuneer Gainz – “Wave Today” Featuring JRGotTheHiTS (Music Video)
-
Entertainment8 years agoBad Boy Reunion Concert :: Major Let Down! (Opinion)
-
News3 years agoUncle of Darnella Frazier, Teen Who Filmed George Floyd’s murder, Killed in Minneapolis Police Car Crash
-
Social Justice10 years ago11 Facts About The Michael Brown Case
-
Black Excellence7 months agoUnheard Voices Editor-in-Chief receives prestigious Women of Color STEM Award
-
Health & Wellness4 years agoMeet 105-year-old runner Ida Keeling
-
Interviews5 years agoAll eyes on Rick Fouche
-
New Jersey14 years agoBad Police Behavior: Who is looking through your garbage?
-
Entrepreneur Spotlight14 years agoAuthor Larry Wilson Jr : The voice of a new African American writer