Lester Holmes, Wilberforce University- c/o 1999, Mass Communications
Name : Lester Holmes
HBCU : Wilberforce University
Graduation Year : 1999
Major : Mass Communications
Email : lesterholmes@pullmag.com
Where are you from? Who introduced you to HBCUs?*
I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Born and raised (Go Steelers!). I first heard of HBCU’s by watching a show called “A Different World.” I wanted to go to Hillman.
Graduation! | Image Credit: Lester Holmes
Why did you choose an HBCU over a pwi?*
My main motivation was my desire to leave Pittsburgh. I love my hometown but I needed change.
I didn’t believe the change I needed would have come from me attending the University of Pittsburgh or Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) I wanted to experience something different. I also wanted the opportunity to learn more about my culture and also to learn more about myself.
Felt Like Home - Feel free to elaborate… To be truthful, Wilberforce wasn’t my first choice. I had my mind set on going to Hampton. However, Hampton was out of my financial reach.
My second choice was Grambling State, but that’s a long way from home, especially on Greyhound.
My third choice was Wilberforce. I visited the campus and it was very rural but you could tell that it was a historic place. And as they say, the rest is history.
What is the story of your "experience" at Your HBCU given its heralded status as a stellar and prestigious institution?*
Wilberforce is my family. There isn’t a day that goes by where I’m not in communication with someone affiliated with Wilberforce.
That “family” experience is unique to HBCU’s. I think you would have to attend one to fully grasp the concept of the family bond we have with one another.
I grew up there and I became a man on that campus. Wilberforce gave me the marketable skills necessary to compete in the workplace with anyone.
"First time" experiences at your HBCU?*
N/A
Lester Holmes looking dapper | Image Credit: Lester Holmes
Who are the professors that have impacted your life in and out of the classroom? How did they do that?*
It’s hard to choose just one. There were several that left a positive impact on my life.
Dr. Tanya Morah, taught me that laziness will not be rewarded or tolerated.
Professor Barnes taught me the “X’s and O’s” of journalism, but the one person who really left an impact is Dr. James Arthur Williams, then Professor of Choral Music at Wilberforce.( I was a member of the Wilberforce University Choir.)
Dr. Williams wasn’t afraid to challenge you. He held you accountable. He challenged you to be your best at all times.
If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have traveled the country performing in front of people like Bryant Gumbel and Sec. Colin Powell. We performed in Cairo, Egypt. I’m grateful for those opportunities, provided by a HBCU.
Best restaurants on/near campus? Best dishes?
The best restaurants were in the dorms. We had guys who would cook 7-course meals on hot plates and sell them.
Our campus is located in this little town called Xenia, Ohio. But the places to eat were Perkins, Ponderosa and a buffet restaurant we went to every Sunday.
I just can’t remember the name.
College crush?
She knows and that’s all that matters.
What is your major? and Why did you choose it?
My major was Mass Media/Communications with an emphasis in Journalism.
I always wanted to be a journalist in print media.
Where are the spots to go to if you wanted to cuddle with your boy or girlfriend?
It would be unfair for me to divulge that information. No sense in tipping off the current administration. The current students on campus have the right to cuddle in peace.
What are the chants heard most often at the sporting events?
You should have been a Bulldog
How are you positively active on campus? (e.g. clubs, SGA, etc.)
I was active in several groups and organizations.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Xi Chapter
2nd Vice-President, Student Government Association
Wilberforce University Choir
“The Mirror”-Wilbeforce University Newspaper
WURS 88.1.” Wilberforce University Radio
Black Male Coalition
How did you overcome your nervousness about going to college?
I wasn’t nervous at all. I was a kid from the West End of Pittsburgh living out a dream.
If you could only speak two sentences to the youth coming after you what would you say?
Remember that you are the caretakers of a powerful legacy. Honor that legacy by being the best individual and student you can be.
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Wilberforce University
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Students: 500
- Athletics: Wilberforce University is a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing as an Independent of the Association of Independent Institutions (AII). Wilberforce University offers Men's sports including basketball and cross country, while women's sports include basketball and cross country. Students also participate in the following intramural sports: basketball, softball, volleyball, flag football, and tennis.
- Notable Alumni: Ossian Sweet - African American doctor notable for self-defense in 1925 against a white mob's attempt to force him out of his Detroit neighborhood, and acquittal at trial** Theophilus Gould Steward - 1881 - U.S. Army chaplain and Buffalo Soldier** Demetrius Newton - Civil rights attorney** Bill Powell - Owner and designer of Clearview Golf Club, the first integrated golf course in America and the first owned and designed by an African American** Leontyne Price - Opera singer and first African American prima donna of the Metropolitan Opera** Leon Jordan - 1932 - Politician and civil rights activist; considered one of the most influential African Americans in the history of Kansas City, Missouri** James H. McGee - City commissioner and first African American mayor of Dayton, Ohio** John R. Fox - Recipient of the Medal of Honor** Raymond V. Haysbert - Business executive and civil rights leader** Floy Clements - First African-American woman to serve in the Illinois House of Representatives (1959-1960)** Victoria Gray Adams - Pioneering civil rights activist** Regina M. Anderson - Playwright, librarian, and member of the Harlem Renaissance** Hallie Quinn Brown - 1873 - Educator, writer and activist**
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