Morehouse College News March 21, 2014 >From 'Pieces to a Puzzle' to a Diamond in the Rough Denzel Caldwell was looking for balance when he decided to come to Morehouse College. The senior from Nashville, Tennessee said the choice was almost spiritual for him. His decision came at a time when he was really trying to find himself. He credits Morehouse with helping him find himself, his voice and an opportunity to reach others. Caldwell has received the post-graduate Humanity In Action Fellowship. The fellowship brings together international groups of college students and recent graduates to explore national histories of discrimination and resistance, as well as examples of issues affecting different minority groups today. While the program is focused on Europe, Caldwell hopes to be a voice for the African diaspora. "I've always wanted to find a way to pair my love for economics with social justice," Caldwell said. "I want to be a black economic voice who picks up where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. left off." It is his dream to take on the causes of social justice and economic equally. Caldwell is minoring in mathematics and African American studies and hopes to pursue a doctorate in economics. Before his decision to come to Morehouse, Caldwell was involved with the YMCA's Black Achievers Program when someone he admired told him that Morehouse should be his choice. "I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Cornel West and he told me that Morehouse was where I needed to be," he said. "I needed to understand who I was as an individual ¾ like putting the pieces of a puzzle together¾and Dr. West said that Morehouse would be a nurturing place where I would be able to do that." Not only has Caldwell been able to put those pieces together, he now knows what he wants to do with them. "I've never been in an environment where I've seen so many like-minded and enlightened African American males," he said. "I went from 'I,' before coming here, to 'we.' I feel like I am part of something larger than myself at Morehouse. It is one of the few places on the planet where you will actually be able to find yourself and take the coal that society gives you and turn it into diamond," Caldwell said. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2014meeting-form.html for the October 26-28, 2014 HBCU Library Alliance 6th Membership Meeting in Atlanta GA!