By El Memeyi Murangwa
7/16/13
“My Goal is to take my education seriously my education like somebody who is going to live forever.” Said RaiDion Fails
The 22 years old RaiDion Fails believes formal education is very important especially for minorities. He thinks that we were born into a society where people don’t emphasize enough on how important education is. For him it will help to get a job that pays more with benefits as well. He also believes experience is a great educator. Being educated allows you to be able to form your own opinions of the world instead of just following what others around you are saying. He loves this quote: “there is no knowledge that is not power”
For Fails, a lot of real life and applicable education comes from knowing your history. If you don’t know your history how can you affect your future? “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare it today.” Said Malcolm X
Fails has a proper style differing from people of his age, the way he dressed, talk, and took hi education seriously main reason I chose to write about him knowing that this can be an inspiration in his community.
RaiDion K. Fails was born in Oklahoma City Ok. He lived in Alaska, Washington, Iowa, South Korea, and different parts of Texas. He has also traveled many parts of the world from Hawaii, Mexico, Japan, to Hong Kong. Obviously he moved a lot as a child, about every 2 or 3 years and had experienced a lot of other cultures. The first time he really experienced racism was in second grade. He was going to play for recess and a Caucasian boy told him that he didn’t belong there because he was a nigger. Everywhere he has been (besides Washington) was a culture shock. When he lived in El Paso, Texas the majority of the population was Hispanic, in Alaska the majority was white, in South Korea, Asian, and in Oklahoma the majority was black. Aside from all of that he deeply thinks that dealing with separate cultures at a time has helped him to be able to deal with anybody now.
Fails has 3 sisters and 1 brother and 4 parents. His parents divorced when he was a young child and he has lived with his father Ray Fails and step-mother Nichelle Fails for the majority of his life. He has always been seen as a privileged child but it has not always been easy. He has seen his father and stepmother go to war 5 times. “My father will leave again this coming fall” said Fails. Although his father was physically in his life, much of the time he was away. His mother Dana Thomas married Venice Thomas and has raised two beautiful young ladies. “They are everything for me” said RaiDion. He often felt bad for leaving his mother but he felt like the opportunity provided to him by moving away had helped him tremendously. He would spend every summer away with his family from Oklahoma and at the end of the summer it would hurt to leave them each time as if it were for the first time. He learned so much about life from my parents: “As I get older I see that everything I do, how I speak, how I act, and my mannerisms are just like them” said Fails. Asked about his extended family, Fails responded that his great grandparents are the most beautiful people he knows. “My grandfather Leon 93 is still healthy and trying to drive. He was the first black police officer in Oklahoma, and my grandmother Mae Helen 83 is a lovely lady as well, a teacher and a nurse” said Fails.
These six people along with his sisters, brother and girlfriend Rocio Patterson are who he lives for. For Fails, they are the reason he wants to be successful. Rocio and RaiDion have been together for 2 years now, but they have known each other since they were freshmen in high school in El Paso.
Fails in his past had some personal struggles as well; when he was 15 his grandfather died at the age of 56 . Parents’ going to war was so hard on him, he didn’t know what to do, the first time they went he didn’t understand why or what they would do. All he knew is that when people go to war they don’t always come back. He has been blessed to have his parents coming back every time.
Fails currently works and attends the University of Texas at Arlington (U.T.A.), majoring in Communication- Public Relations, and is expected to graduate in May 2014. His dream is to set up a non-profit organization to enhance education in his community.
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