Lance Griffin

                                         

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

Full name: Lance La'Broch Griffin

Age: 21

Hometown: Denver, Colorado

University/occupation: University of Georgia

Major: Psychology

Relationship status: In a relationship

Research Interest: Stress and psychological strain on LGBTQAI students at PWIs

Organizations/Campus Involvement: LGBTRC Ambassador & PRISM

Employment/Volunteerism: BREC Independence Park Theatre Summer Camp Counselor

Future aspirations: Becoming a counseling psychologist

Favorite past time: Writing

What motivates you: The desire to impact change on the world around.

What Pushes You When Things Get Tough: Knowing that I am not in any of this alone and that I have people who will help me along the way.

What’s your favorite song currently: Fly Before You Fall by Cynthia Erivo.

What inspires you: The people in my inner circle of family and friends.

Favorite quote: "You hold onto friends by keeping your heart a little softer than your head:" - Clone Wars?

If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be and why: Tenacious. I would use the word “tenacious” because it is the word that best describes what my survival and progression through life has called for- bending, but never breaking, being pushed but never falling behind.

What’s your story? Where does your motivation come from? Explain to us your background: I come from a working class family from Denver, Colorado. I am the youngest of four children and the only boy. From the time I was four years old onward, I had to cope with my parents periodically coming in and out of my life, and growing up on my own. I had to quickly learn to be self-sufficient. My family never had a lot of money, so being resourceful was a skill that proved adaptive in my life. I had to learn and teach myself how to make something out of nothing, be it food or school supplies. I had to embrace manhood on my own terms, and assess what that meant to me- what adulthood looked like to me. I never really had much of a childhood. I didn’t have that assisted-learning that some kids have through familial support. Instead, I had to learn as I went and serve as both student and teacher. Maintaining was a matter of trial and error for me, but I managed well enough. Every year brought a new challenge in life, and although sometimes the world seemed to be more than I could bear, I persevered. After about seven years, I finally moved back with my father who lived in Toccoa, GA by that time. I enrolled in Stephens County High School, where I struggled to acclimate to the cultural shift. I was convinced to apply to the University of Georgia by my phenomenal AP English teacher, Dr. Warren. After being accepted to UGA, I found my voice and my niche—getting more involved with the LGBT Resource Center on campus. As a senior now, I can truly see how my experiences in life have cultivated the values that I hold dear to me, and the unbreakable spirit I gained through it all has been the recurring theme in my story. If there is any one thing that I could say is the source of my motivation, it would the desire to give myself a better tomorrow than my yesterday- both literally and metaphorically.

What’s your end goal? When you’re old and ready to retire, what do you want people to remember you for? My end goal is to have a career as a Counseling Psychologist and serve the people around me. I hold mental health near and dear to my heart and I am passionate about healing those who suffer from the devastating effects of mental health issues. I hope to be married with a family and live a life of comfort—no need for excess. I want people to remember me for always fighting for social justice and helping people. Most of all though, I want to be remembered for loving my friends and family.

Social Media: 
You can find him on instagram @ l_egant_l

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


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Peace and Love,


The UOB Team