* VV J une 16, 1993 • T he P ortland O bserver P age A 8 c~- 1993 s ) J ®ljc Jlortlani» (©beer Her Noel Willis: Graduating With Honors COMPUTER TRAINING In just weeks you can become employable GETA In the fastest growing job markets! <♦ Medical Records <* Word Processing ❖ ❖ Insurance Claims Processing ❖ Data Entry Secretary/Receptionlst Job placement our # 1 priority Financial aid for those who qualify Day and evening classes "These skills have alt« ads paid of I for me I was Nationally accredited by ACCET Authorized Microsoft Training Center hired only three «lass into the |ob search portion of the program '* hi. I l l i.lu ile Beaverton 285-9247 ■i«rn<».»« twslth • <1 wro*« to ACCETS Vancouver 6950759 B( T I W MM .S.S t o M H T t k T R U M M , INS n i l 71 How far you go is up to you. If you are 17 to 27 years old, ’e ’re hiring. And, if you’re a high school graduate visit your local Air Force recruiter or call: we’ve got an opportunity for you. W e’ll train you. Plus, you’ll get hands-on experience in a great Air Force 1-800-423-USAF. job. Then, when your Air Force enlistment is up, those skills will be in demand in a civilian job. A IM H IG H W Like thousands o f college seniors throughout the country, Noel W illis recently basked in the lim elight o f convocation cerem onies But unlike most seniors, the jo u rn alism m ajor at the University of M issouri graduated w ith honors—m agna cum laude, to be precise. “It w as a very, very, good feel ing,” W illis, 22, rem arked o f w alking across the auditorium stage to receive his bachelor’s degree “Just having family m em bers clapping m ade my day.” W illis, who is the grandson o f Jo h n a n d T h e lm a S y lv e s te r o f Portland was also nam ed a m em ber o f K appa T au A lpha, an honor society fo r a s e le c t g r o u p o f s tu d e n ts from am ong the top ten percent o f the g rad u atin g class. T h e h o n o r is a prestigious one indeed, especially w hen earned at the oldest an d m ost renow ned jo u rn alism program in the country. A num ber o f fam ily an d friends from across the country shared in the m om ent, including the g rad u atin g se n io r’s “ G ra n d m a S yl,” T h elm a Sylvester. “Y our m ind tells you that th e re’s no way G randm a Syl should make such a long trip ,” W illis said. "B ut in my heart and soul I’m as pleased as punch she m ade it here.” Noel W illis spoke w ith love and adm iration o f his grandparents, w ho he said represented a crucial bridge between the past and present. He also noted that his deceased grandm other on his fath er’s side o f the fam ily, Bernice M ayfield, was there in spirit. "T hey’re all great people, no doubt about it.” A num ber o f fam ily m em bers and In addition to training and a good paycheck, the Air Force will help you get an education. We ll help you pay for college while you’re in the Air Force. Also, we have a two-year degree program and a plan to provide money for school even after your Air Force tour is over. friends gathered for a post-graduation celebration dinner. T he m om ent was touching for all w ho w ere present, but the d in n e r’s honoree said that he was especially overw helm ed. “ I never experienced that type o f em otion in all my life th at I felt tow ard every person in that room ,” he said. T he honors graduate offered special praise for his mother, Verlean Sylvester W illis “She constantly read to m e as a child, and I ’ll alw ays rem em ber our trips to the library,” Noel W illis re called. “S h e’s the one w ho laid the foundation.” She certainly did. A single w ork ing m other for the better part o f N oel’s childhood, V erlean Sylvester W illis stressed the im portance o f reading A stack o f library books could often be found in the back seat o f her car. “My advice for young m others w ith no m oney is th at the library is the best place to take your fam ily,” Ms. W illis suggests. “T h ere are so many w orlds to explore. A nd it d o esn ’t cost anything. “Besides, if a child can feel free w ith a book,” she said, “it w ill be m uch easier for them to learn in school.” Noel W illis will be the first person to point out that his father, Leon Willis, and stepmother, H arriet Palmer-W illis, w ere there for him , too. W illis recalled that his father helped to erase w hat ever doubts the jo u rn alism student had concerning his abilities. O ften, Leon W illis’s letters front hom e served as a lifeline for his youngest son. “D ad ’s a m an w ho does not ex press his em otions as m uch as he prob ably should,” N oel W illis said o f his father. “Just having him at the g radu ation cerem onv m e a n t a I n t t o m e ” T h e years o f fam ily encourage m ent obviously paid dividends. But V erlean Sylvester W illis is quick to give ultim ate credit w here it is due. “W e w ere a support group for Noel. But he did it.” Not long after experiencing the eu p h o ria o f g rad u atin g , how ever, Noel W illis said that this is a cross roads period in his young life. “ I’m going to have to sit dow n an d take a hard look at w ho 1 am ,” he said. T he jo u rn alism graduate said that the pre dicam ent o f m any young Blacks has been o f concern to him also. “ It ju st proves how screw ed-up th is society is. I th in k o f those broth ers in ja il,” he said. “T hey are people w ho are as bright as I a m - n o brighter. T here is an E instein out there.” T h e honors graduate argued that through our labor an d bloodshed in battle, am ong other contributions, B lacks are “m ore A m erican” than practically any oth er group o f people in this country. Yet, despite that, he noted that we continue to live in “a system that d o esn ’t recognize w hat an individuals prom ise is.” “I th an k God th at I was able to get th ro u g h the cracks,” he said. D enise LaCour, w ho m ade the trip along w ith her d au g h ter C rystal, lias dubbed her nephew “T h e M agna M an” in recognition o f his accom plishm ents. T he specific honors do n o t m e an as m u c h fo r V e rle a n Sylvester W illis, how ever, as she w atches “the last child leaving the nest,” she said philosophically. “It’s the icing on the cake,” she said. “ But, you know , I ’ve alw ays scraped icing o ff cake w hen I eat it, anyway. 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