Alumni Stories: Marcus and Adrienne, Class of ‘99 and ‘97

Why did you choose Tuskegee University?

Marcus: A college visit. Out of all the places I went, Tuskegee felt like home. It felt like this is where I belong, almost like from the moment I stepped on campus, I was like, "Oh, this is where I'm supposed to be." And ever since then, I was fixated. You know, I started hounding people for scholarships or anything that I could to try to make sure I could get to Tuskegee. And the ironic thing is that my mom graduated from Tuskegee, but she never really pushed it, and it just really happenstance that I ended up there.

For high school, I went to a boarding school, and we did a bus trip to a number of universities. I can't even remember the universities I went to in Atlanta. We saw some schools, and that's pretty much all I remember. They didn't stand out. I think. I can't remember how I went to the University of Florida, but I did a college visit there also, and it was like, "Oh, this is not for me. I mean, these classes are so huge. The professor looked like an ant down there." When I got to Tuskegee, it didn't feel anything like that. It felt like where I belonged.

My wife might have a different story. Why did you choose Tuskegee?

Adrienne: The easy answer is I decided I was going to go to HBCU, and my mother told me that her money only goes to Tuskegee. But I chose Tuskegee because it is a family school, and at the time, when I was in high school, both sets of my grandparents had different health challenges. I just wanted to be closer, and so when I came to Tuskegee to actually visit the college, I was like, "This is where I'ma go." I fell in love. I knew the city of Tuskegee, but I didn't know the university, and when I went to the university, I fell in love.

Aside from the careers, what other ways do you feel that Tuskegee helped you grow as people?

Marcus: It helped develop that grit — you know, the perseverance and the ability to see things through. Tuskegee was challenging. It gave you the ability to meet those challenges and the challenges that came after graduation. I felt like I was prepared for them. You might not know everything — I mean, you can't know everything, but it helped lay a foundation where you can overcome any of life's challenges.

Adrienne: I think perseverance is one of those things that you learn. I think it gave you the chance to be innovative. Like as a kid, you might say, "Oh, I'm bored," or "Oh, I need something," and your parents help you figure it out. At Tuskegee, there was no adult there to guide you, so you had to figure it out and use wisdom and discernment to see if that was a good option or not. Also, for me, it was kind of a chance to reinvent yourself. Like if you were, you know, a quiet kid in school, these people didn't know that, so you could be who you wanted to be. You could remake yourself or be a new or better version of yourself.