Crockett Graduated Honored in Auston
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – Crockett High School graduate Artis Edwards first came to The Messenger’s attention last year, when the Bulldog was recruited to play football for Texas College in Tyler. The young man impressed this reporter, not only for his athletic ability, but for his mature and wise-beyond-his-years outlook on life. Knowing he would go far, we were not surprised to hear Edwards was chosen to be a keynote speaker at an important event in Austin last week.
But first, we asked Edwards how he is liking school at the college level.
“I’m doing very well in class. I was actually on the honor roll, so I’m doing well in school,” Edwards said. “When it comes to football, we went eight and three – we haven’t had a season like that in the last 50 years.”
Edwards had been looking forward to the move to Tyler, eager to spread his wings and begin the journey to manhood and being an adult. He said Tyler has suited him just fine.
“It’s actually pretty quiet compared to what I thought it was going to be. I guess it has big city things but it’s also has a small town appeal.”
Edwards traveled to Austin on Saturday, April 5 to represent Texas College at an event for nine Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Edwards has always been interested in current events and politics and was chosen to speak, a high honor for a freshman. He spoke about life at an HBCU and others spoke about how attending one of these schools affected the rest of their life. Speaking before the event, Edwards said he knew what he wanted to say at the event.
“I plan on talking about how the community of the school has enriched me. Everyone wants to gather for your success and how the school is a great place for you if you want like-minded individuals to be around you,” Edwards said. “The teachers are great and you can have mentors and you can get one-on-one time since the school is a little bit smaller. There’s time to learn and educate yourself and the culture is great.”
With a winning football season, grades putting him in the honor roll and giving lectures, there isn’t a lot of free time, but Edwards does have time to miss home.
“The only thing is, you kind of realize you’re not at home,” Edwards noted. “You are at home, but you’re not around your mom and dad and your little sister constantly and not able to see them all the time. But it gives you a positive aspect and a way to be able to develop without being under your parents all the time.”
Edwards recently received a scholarship from Jo Denman at the Crockett Community Empowerment Event, something he said made him particularly proud.
There is much this young man can and will accomplish, although he still has a couple of options he wants to pursue after college.
“I want to develop myself as a professor and a coach and be able to help people like how good teachers have helped me,” Edwards said. “Possibly going into politics and maybe later in life, beyond my football dreams and my football career, after my football career, possibly as a theologian, such as a preacher. That’s something I also have big dreams about. I have a lot of ambitions and I have the mind and the ambition to go through it.”
How does an intelligent young man think we could heal some of the divisions in the country?
“Simple, just compassion. Love everybody, realize that we’re all Americans and we’re all going through some situations and accept one another. Love – that’s pretty much the biggest thing that we need,” Edwards concluded.”
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
