Naquita Bowie

Student

“When I first got on campus, I was a nervous wreck. I thought, ‘I’m too old. I’ve got kids. There’s no way this’ll work out.’”

All of the above thoughts of Naquita Bowie quickly turned around after she had spent a couple of weeks at SMC. “I met a girl named Tony Jordan who introduced me to the University Transfer Program, and it’s been a blessing ever since,” says Naquita who plans to transfer to USC. “Everyone at SMC has been wonderful to me, and I’ll really miss it,” she says. “They really spoil you on this campus.”

Naquita is a former track athlete who reports that her running skills help her keep up with her three young boys. But even when her sons run her ragged, she still feels the energy to help children from all walks of life. “I’ve volunteered for the Special Olympics for ten years, and I just recently worked with the Hands Across Watts gang members,” she says. A further, and quite unique involvement with kids took place for Naquita this past summer when she served as an SMC intern to the Neighborhood Resource Development Corporation. “We were working on a new Head Start program that incorporates a senior citizen center as well,” says Naquita. “The idea was that children and the elderly could interact. We’d plan the types of games they could play together, and also plan their nutrition. I worked with the staff building the program from the ground up, and it was a wonderful experience. It rejuvenates the older people, and the children learn so much from the elderly. It’s a complete win-win situation.”

At USC, Naquita plans to direct her energies to becoming a child psychologist. “But I’ll always be a volunteer,” she says. “To change the world, you’ve got to put up or shut up because change will never materialize unless you’re willing to jump right in and help.”

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