Shabazz Burwell

Student

“The best thing about SMC is its diversity. All the different people and cultures; everybody’s included here. I love it!”

He can proudly trace the origins of his first name to the time when African American activism really took off in America. “Back in the ‘60s, my dad was a big-time follower of Malcolm X,” says Shabazz Burwell. “He started Pan-African movements and Black Studies programs at Cal State Northridge, where he was a Sociology professor. And now that I’m the first in my family—aside from Dad—to be going for my degree, he’s really in my corner.”

And it pays to have a good ‘corner man’ when you’re balancing 15 units with the demands of a full-time job. “I’ve been at SMC for over two years, going at my own pace. But this is the first semester that I’ve really gone into my studies full-tilt,” says Shabazz. “But the thing that I value most about SMC is that it gives you the flexibility you need to not have to kill yourself to make it. And if you’re smart—and get fee waivers, scholarships, and other kinds of financial assistance—you don’t have to kill your pocketbook, either.”

Shabazz reports that communications and broadcasting are the current front-runners in terms of the professions he’s considering. “I want to make a good living, of course. But I also want a profession where I’ll feel fulfilled mentally and spiritually as well,” he says. “But I’m in no hurry to get myself locked into a career. I feel comfortable just knowing that school is my first priority, and my goal is just to get that degree. Then we’ll see what the rest of my life may bring.”

Back