ADRI.V The Go Getta Spotlights Taijay Williams

In today's society, every time you turn on the news, our young men and women, or African Americans period, are being portrayed in such a negative light.  Such imagery can make society view us as uneducated, wild and unprofessional people.

What’s sad is that those who are professional, educated, well behaved and excelling do not get the proper acknowledgement, or their story is not considered newsworthy.

So being the person I am, I decided to do just the opposite and spread the Gospel. Now the word gospel derives from the Old English gōd-spell , meaning "good news" or "glad tidings," so with that understanding, I created The Go Getta Gospel, where I will spotlight those professionals, students, young adults and youth who are beating the odds and excelling academically and professionally!

In today’s Go Getta Gospel, we shine the spotlight on Taijay Williams, a.k.a. "Mr. Big Shot.” Williams is a student at Niagara Falls High School, where he is the captain of the basketball team.  He averages 20 points a game and earned his name “Mr. Big Shot” through hard work in practice and showing up time after time and hitting “big shots” that often led the team to victory.  Due to his work ethic on the court and in class, Williams has earned himself a full athletic scholarship to Mansfield College in Pennsylvania.

I had the chance to speak with Williams' coach,  Sal Constantino, who shared that it has been a pleasure watching Taijay grow from a kid to a young adult.  Constatino has been Williams' coach since the eighth grade, and he said that “Taijay is one of those students who is special. He has great leadership qualities on and off the court and posses much greatness.”

Although Coach Sal has worked with Williams since eighth grade, he acknowledges that Williams' mother, KaWanda Herd, a single parent, is the one who truly taught him all he knows about hard work.

Please help me congratulate Taijay Williams on being a part of the 2012 graduating class and going on to higher education on a full scholarship!

If you know a Young Go Getta, professional or business that you would like to spotlight, please email me at adrivthegogetta@gmail.com