How To Make Your DREAMS COME TRUE

Ebony, August, 2000 by Zondra Hughes

After six-and-a-half "months of hell" (working 17 hour days, he says, without television, radio, or air conditioning), Nwani had learned his lesson, and left prison determined to turn his life around. Instead of wallowing in a sea of self-pity, he did what almost all successful people do--he struck out in another direction, this time aiming higher than ever before. While living in a federally guarded half-way house, he re-enrolled in Tennessee State University to complete his studies and found a job at the on-campus beauty salon.

Charging $10 a head, Nwani earned a grand a week. By the time he graduated in 1996, he had stockpiled over $40,000, which he used to launch a beeper/cellular phone business. Using profits from that business, he opened a barber school so that he could teach his former drug clients and customers a legitimate trade.

"I wanted to give back because I had hurt so many people," he says. "The barber school would allow me to train guys fresh out of prison so that they can make a living."

Today, Nwani travels across the nation, preaching the gospel of success: "Put God first, listen to your parents, and cut off all negative friends," he advises. "You've got to sacrifice, learn from others' mistakes and find yourself a positive mentor. And never give up."

AMY ELIZABETH KIRKLAND THOMAS

5 degrees and still studying at 81

AT 81 years young, Amy Elizabeth Kirkland Thomas earned her fifth college degree, a bachelor of arts in sociology with a concentration in gerontology, from Norfolk State University. And she's not done with her schooling just yet.

"I started out to get one degree, but I couldn't stop there. I love school and I love people, and I just can't wait to get back," she says.

Thomas began her college career at Savannah Industrial College (now Georgia State Univerity), where she attended school for one year before joining the U.S. Army in 1943. Three years later, she married John Thomas, and the couple moved to Norfolk, Va., where he joined the Navy and she worked at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital. The couple adopted four children to make their lives "more complete."

But Thomas' desire to feel more complete went far beyond being a wife and working mother--she wanted to further her education. It took her nearly three decades, but Thomas fulfilled her dream when she earned her first bachelor of arts degree in interdisciplinary education from Norfolk State College in 1974. Within the next decade, the Georgia native earned triple associate degrees from the college in tailoring, upholstery and aging.

Thomas' road to her most recent degree, a bachelor's degree in sociology, had its rough spots, however, including a devastating blow --the sudden death of her niece--which led Thomas to withdraw from school until her husband helped steer her back to her educational path.

Thomas is active in her church, New Calvary Baptist Church, and is a member of several professional and civic organizations--all dedicated to helping humanity. She is also determined to begin a literary program in her community. "I am planning to go into the nursing homes and teach the elders how to read and write, so they will be able to enjoy life to the fullest," she says.