Eric Williams
Liberty Program 1990 - 1994
Eric was introduced to the Liberty Program in 1990 by Kimani, and was a member until 1994. He will graduate from Suny Old Westbury in May 1999. He intends to become a teacher.
Currently I'm gonna be going into my 4th year at Suny at Westport. I am twenty years of age. Happy to see your face....
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During the summer you really got to see everybody. When we got into the summer it just made our friendships. To see each other on a constant basis. We were there for each other on those hungry nights when we had to get snacks and somebody was sad or some girl dissed this guy. It taught me a lot about friendship, trust, to rely on other people also. That there are people just like me who are going through just what I'm going through and they just want to have fun, do what I want to do. It's good being around people who are taking the same positive steps as you. Rather than someone going one other way. Even if there is one person going astray, if you're all going one way you can probably try to carry the other ones along.
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I don't know if it was my first or second time going up to Bard. It really just introduced me into writing.... I kind of enjoyed it. One summer I was a peer counselor and that really opened my eyes to seeing that I liked working with kids. And watching them do their homework, helping them out. Like they didn't understand something, and you teach it to them, and you see the smile on their face. I mean that that's something that no hundred thousand dollar job could ever replace. You'll remember that for the rest of your life.
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Adults
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I think Liberty helped me more working with adults. We got to meet a lot of adults that generally cared about kids. They really. They were like you, especially , I was telling my girlfriend about it, yea from the first time I ever met him he came approached me spoke to me like he knew me for years . Made me feel comfortable. Generally a lot of people out here, they see teenagers and they don't even want to take the time to get to know them. Cause they say that "he's probably trying to steal this or something like that. Most of the people you have in this program generally care about kids, care about their welfare. Care about what they are doing in school. Come up to you and say, "How was your day?" You see people on the street and they just looking at you like you probably want to rob them or something like that. When you come here it's more a positive kind of atmosphere. The adults, here they just care about you.
To listen to people. Listen to them. Talk to them. It's just so many things that people take for granted. Somebody could die tomorrow, if you don't appreciate what you have in front of you, with your family, your life, then your whole life is invalid.....
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Underprivileged
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You could be less fortunate in some things, like some people could just be underprivileged with money, but some people have money and their underprivileged with love and caring because their parents don't have the time to be with them. Some people don't have money but yet they're a lot happier because their parents care a lot about them and make sure they're okay. They might not be able to give them a $110 dollar whatever, but at least they make up for it in other things....
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Culturally Deprived
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Just unaware to other cultures. Sometimes, you're not even aware of your own culture. You're just aware of your living, going to school, your eating, but as for your backgrounds; your culture with your family, culture in your neighborhood.... Until I came to Liberty I never interacted with Caucasian people. And then, like you see people on TV, a Caucasian cop beating up a kid, so then your anti everyone. But then, you come here and you meet people of other races and stuff like that. You start to learn more and what they're about and then that enhances you.
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Hope
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You always got to have hope . If you don't have no hope for the future than you're not really living. You just goin by day to day not having no dreams or any aspirations you want to fulfill.
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Kids
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Kids, I mean when it comes to educating them , you can make them make that one little turn by showing them a positive light that can make them have a great future. Because if you weren't in their life they would have tuned another way. Because kids are like adults they just don't have as many experiences. But if you sit down and talk to them, 9 out of 10 will have the same goals as you did when you were a kid. Generally all they want to do is succeed at something. They don't want to just be standing on the block with their friends. The want to go places, they want to do things, they want to see things like they see on TV, and they want to experience them for themselves.
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School
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School, I've come to conclude that it's just more than education. From kindergarten all the way up to college. It's more than just education. It's learning how to interact with other people, learning how to deal with other people, learning how to accept other people's different values. You learn to deal with rules.... You was doin that since you was in kindergarten.
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Giving Back
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The real world is something sick out there. I just hope by the time I get there I can help somebody.... Hopefully before. I'm always going to be learning, hopefully whatever I learn I can pass onto someone else....I'm not gonna try to be no preacher or anything...but if I can tell you something that will prevent you from making a mistake....hey, I guess I did my job. Even if you don't say thankyou, I know that I helped you out. That's all I need to know.