COW (College Orientation Workshop) is held at VMI each year for minority young men who are rising juniors and seniors. It’s a 4 week program where the young men are pushed mentally, physically, and challenged to be the best they can be. Sequoia (left) and Keith (right) pictured above, were this year’s attendees from Boys Home.
WDBJ Channel 7 out of Roanoke did a feature on the program that can be watched HERE.
We’re very proud of these young men and their accomplishments. At graduation for the COW program, each graduate read a speech about their experience. Below are Sequoia and Keith’s speeches:
Keith’s Speech
Good morning everybody. My name’s Keith Kekande from Uganda, Africa. To start, I’d like to thank all my coaches, teachers, and counselors for these amazing last 4 weeks. Second, I’d like to also thank my cousin for not coming to pick me up with I called home and asked him to after the first 5 days. But thank you, COW, for helping me grow. Thank you for making me stronger and smarter than I was. Thank you for the life lessons that opened my eyes to what’s important in life. Thank you for completely obliterating my comfort zone and making me feel like I can do anything I put my mind to. Thank you for the dorights. Oh the dorights. Chills run down my spine just thinking about them. Thank you for allowing a young African boy to be the only person in his family to visit the Pentagon. Thank you for taking me canoeing. I’ve never been before. And thank you coach Joice for making us pay homage to the river by doing push up hands and feet in the water and drowning a little every time you said “down.” Thank you, Pete, for being right by my side through every single workout, punishment or not, when you didn’t have to. I appreciate it. Thank you CC, for being my best friend. I like to give a special shout out to Coach Scott for trying to run us till his heart stops. I’d also like to give a special shout out to the main man with a plan, Lucan, for being a good friend. But thank you COW for teaching me the importance of relationships and thanks for all the new relationships and friends I’ve make this month. Don’t you guys forget about me. One day you’ll see me on the big screen shooting 3s and braking knees, hotter than a heater, swishing buzzer beaters, because that’s my dream and what COW has taught me is that dreams come true, but it’s up to you. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for everything that went down this month. Once again, thank you.
Sequoia’s Speech titled, “Almost”
Thursday.
Almost.
Almost we are done.
True it’s been fun.
Doubt us,
can none.
Our butts we bust
finish this,
we must.
Undeniable
is our trust.
Lots we have run.
Our lives
have just begun.
Not much time
have we spent in our bed,
for we must fight
to get ahead.
Together we must train
the body and the brain.
Leads, ladies and gentlemen, we will gain.
Our rewards
we have come to reap.
In victory
are we thigh deep.
Almost,
almost free.
One thing I feel
we can all agree
is we do not sleep.
At 5:30 they came
to give us a creep
For once I am home.
My dreams for days
shall roam.
When I awake,
I will go to those.
My help to them
I will propose.
If they say yes,
help them I will
with their mess.
Greatness
is what I will feel.
Now to more
will I appeal.
For others will I fight.
Fight with all my might.
With them I will do right
that I feel will guide me
toward heaven’s most blinding light.