Marquise Lane

We are pleased to introduce to you all our third brother of the week, Marquise! Marquise's interview responses are below. Enjoy!

   

Full name: Marquise Lane

Age: 21

Hometown: Valdosta GA

University/occupation: UGA

Major/minor/certificate/concentration: Management Information Systems

Single or in a relationship? Single

Organizations/Campus Involvement:

I helped make "The Arch" accessible

Employment/Volunteerism: 

Offensive Volunteer, Georgia Football

Future aspirations: 

To get a job that allows me to impact lives in a positive manner and make enough money to sufficiently support my future family.

Favorite past time? 

2K and hanging at the football office

What motivates you? 

My disability

What pushes you when things get tough? 

faith in God and His plan for my life

What’s your favorite song currently? 

Intro About Nothing-Wale

Who inspires you? 

My mom

Favorite quote? 

"The only limitations you'll ever have are those you place upon yourself"

If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be and why? 

Driven because once I set my mind to something, I'm  gonna get it done. No matter what.

What’s your story? Where does your motivation come from? Explain to us your background

What’s your end goal? When you’re old and ready to retire, what do you want people to remember you for?

I'm a senior MIS major at UGA from Valdosta GA. I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at age 3 and have been using a walker ever since. I never really thought about my motivation, but I guess my disability is a big motivating factor for me. I know that I'm already at a physical disadvantage, so I can't afford to be at a mental one, too! My mom always told me that I had to show people that despite my physical disability, I was just as good as everybody else academically. My end goal is to be in a position where I can positively impact lives and show people that they can do whatever they set their minds to. Hopefully i will leave impressions on the lives of many and these will live long after I am gone. When its all said and done, I want people to remember me as a hard worker who never quit and who gave whatever he was doing everything he had. I hope that I will be remembered as someone who left the world in better shape than he found it.

Social Media: 
Instagram & Twitter: @averagemarquise

We hope that you enjoyed reading Marquise's interview as much as we did! Be sure to subscribe to this blog to see who our future brothers will be!

Follow us on instagram @upliftingourbrothers and twitter @upliftingbros

Peace and Love,

The UOB Team

Gregory Lafortune

We are pleased to introduce to you our second UOB brother of the week, Greg! Greg's interview responses are below. Enjoy!

Full name: Gregory Lafortune

Age: 22

Hometown: Queens, NY

University/occupation: Georgia State University, student

Major/minor/certificate/concentration: working towards a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition

Single or in a relationship? Single

Research Interest (if any): The relationship between good food and good nutrition in the Haitian culture.

Organizations/Campus Involvement:
Theophile Youth on Fire for Christ: Youth Director
GSU 1913 Society of Ambassadors: Advisory Board

Employment/Volunteerism: 

Georgia State University Tour Guide

Future aspirations:

-Get married

-Have kids
-Raise a God-fearing family

-Be a spokesperson for some type of prominent Nutrition establishment

-Travel to Haiti and influence the people to live healthier lifestyles

-Serve as a role model for young black men

-Preach the Gospel

Favorite past time?
-Playing music (drums, bass, tuba, harmonica)
-Reading the Bible

-Cooking Breakfast and taking pictures of it

-SnapChat
-Christian Counseling

-Making smoothies

Sorry I have so much! lol

What motivates you? 

Family and close friends depend on me. My future family depends on me.

What pushes you when things get tough? 

Perseverance through Christ.  My faith drives me in all things, especially when things get tough.

What’s your favorite song currently? 

Don’t laugh at me, but “Hakuna Matata” from the Lion King is the greatest song of all time. That, and the “Bare Necessities” from the Jungle Book.

Who inspires you? 

My mother. She knows best.

Favorite quote?

I don’t have one.

If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be and why?

Incredible: I hate saying this because pride is something I struggle with. However, I don’t know another word to use. I am multi-faceted and well rounded. I work hard on perfecting God’s Will in my life and go against the grain when I’m pressured to follow any distorted trend. I am a Leader, and I initiate. I am content with what I have, but never complacent with where I could be. I am incredible because an incredible God created me.

What’s your story? Where does your motivation come from? Explain to us your background. What’s your end goal? When you’re old and ready to retire, what do you want people to remember you for?
When I was 11 I got diagnosed with diabetes. It was a confusing and frustrating time for a kid like me. Being that diabetes did not run in my immediate family, it made me even more mad that I had to be the first one in my family to have it. I spent years hurt and mad at God because I literally felt like He set me up. Diabetes didn’t make sense. It is until I grew older, I started seeing how I had a passion for good nutrition and living a health conscious lifestyle. This would have never happened had I not got diagnosed with diabetes initially. When I was 11, I didn’t get it, but now it makes sense: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not onto your own understanding. In all your ways, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

I want you to look at me and say “Greg never changed.” Consistency is one of the most important factors to consider during the progression of life. Of course we have impactful experiences that may change us. Why “go with the flow” when I serve a God who controls the flow?  Whether I have everything or lose everything, I want my relationship with Jesus Christ to be the most stable thing going for me. I want people to see that I endured hardship like a good soldier and persevered in my Faith no matter what. Christ is my Solid Rock.

Random Comments, Concerns, and/or Questions:

I struggle with coming off as “intimidating” or “judgmental” because people see how seriously I take my life (never partied, drunk, smoked, had sex, etc). People always question if I even go through personal battles. I wish it were otherwise. Every single day, something new comes up that I don’t understand. My identity gets challenged frequently. I’ve had moments of extreme sadness, loneliness, and pessimism.  I always humble myself to be transparent in my struggles. People see my personality, accomplishments, and where I’m headed as so “lofty” they are unable to see the fact that I am human too and struggle just as well. Though my failures are many, I don’t linger in them. My attitude and to get back up is what sets me apart.

Social media:

Instagram: @sofortunate

We hope that you enjoyed reading Greg's interview as much as we did! Be sure to subscribe to this blog to see who our future brothers will be!

Follow us on instagram @upliftingourbrothers and twitter @upliftingbros

Peace and Love,

The UOB Team

Fatai Olorunsola

We are pleased to introduce to you all, a good friend of ours and our very first UOB brother of the week, Fatai! Fatai's interview responses are below, enjoy!

Full name: Fatai Soji Olorunsola

Age: 21

Hometown: Jonesboro, Georgia

University/occupation: University of Georgia/ Full-time student

Major/minor/certificate/concentration:

Major – Microbiology (Concentration in Pre-med)

Minor – African Languages and Literature

Certificate – African Studies

Relationship status: 

I am not currently in a relationship.

Research Interest (if any): 

I do undergraduate research in plant biology, specifically in isolating the cell wall of plants. But after undergrad, I will not be participating in research anymore. I went to a research convention last year and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The only thing that I really enjoyed was visiting the 2 small booths for medical schools that were present and hanging out with my friends.

Organizations/Campus Involvement:

Minority Science Student Association

Resident Assistant

African Student Union

The Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (Peach State LSAMP)

Undergraduate Laboratory Assistant

Employment/Volunteerism:

Thomas Lay After School Program

International Student Life Tax Team

IMPACT

Franklin Committee Advisory

Future aspirations: 

I want to become a physician

Favorite past time? 

I really enjoy being around my friends. Spending time around them has really been the highlight of my college career.

What motivates you? 

A lot of things motivate me. I really want to make my family proud. I want make sure my parents know that their hard work and efforts paid off. The friends I have are also amazing. Seeing those people going on to do great things makes me want to strive to be great also. With my career specifically, I feel the need to contribute to humanity in a positive way and to be honest, I really don’t see myself in any other image other than a doctor.

What pushes you when things get tough? 

What pushes me when things get tough are the same things that motivate me. The encouragement of my family and friends really helps me get through the tough times. But most importantly, knowing that God is on my side gets me through anything that life throws at me. The Lord would not give me anything I can’t handle and trusting in His plan is the only way to see it through.

What’s your favorite song currently? My favorite song has always been Drake’s “Going in for Life”. Drake is my favorite rapper and it’s the 8^th song off ofhis mixtape, Comeback Season. It’s basically a 2 minute verse describing how he treats each session in the studio as if he’s never going to be able to rap, because he’s going to prison for life.

Who inspires you? 

My parents really inspire me. They came from Nigeria after high school in order to seek more resources and education for their family and themselves. They’ve accomplished so much, and it’s only right that I do the same for myself and the family.

Favorite quote? 

“Find something worth dying for, then live for it”~ Unknown

If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be and why? 

Blessed. When I think about everything I have, what type of person I have grown to be, and just my day-to-day interactions in all aspects of my life, I’m grateful for everything.

What’s your story? Where does your motivation come from? Explain to us your background? What’s your end goal? When you’re old and ready to retire, what do you want people to remember you for? 

I’m just a kid from Clayton County who grew up a little bit too shy. I still remember in middle school all I wanted to do was be popular amongst everyone. I finally made a name for myself and became cocky. I knew it wasn’t me but I still did it anyway. Once I graduated, being popular didn’t really matter. I still haven’t hit up a lot of people from high school since I graduated. Then I realized that in terms of friendship/relationship, quality is always better than quantity. I got to UGA and I not only made quality friends but I also made a family. And I’ve developed my passion of medicine and healthcare along the way. 

I think once I retire I would want to start a charter or private school for juveniles (around high school level) that want a career in the pre-health disciplines (pre-med, pre-pharm, pre-dent, PA, public health, scientists, etc). With everything that is going on in the USA right now (referring to the police brutality and riots), I think the best thing to combat the negativity is education. They’ll still have to complete English and Social Studies classes but the bulk of classes would be science, math and social science related. I think giving juveniles a second chance will greatly improve the disparities at hand. Not only will it get them out of the tough situations that they’re in, but they will be able to mentor other adolescents that find themselves in the same place that they were in before they came into the program.

Random Comments, Concerns, and/or Questions: 

Everybody talks about how hard UGA (college) is. The struggle humbles you and teaches you how to be grateful and appreciate every single thing in life. Cherish it because it’s going to bittersweet when undergrad is over with GOOO DAWGS!

Social Media:

Instagram: @effinfatai

Twitter: @SheFillinMe

We hope that you enjoyed reading Fatai's interview as much as we did! Be sure to subscribe to this blog to see who our future brothers will be! 

Follow us on instagram @upliftingourbrothers and twitter @upliftingbros

Peace and Love,

The UOB Team