So determined, so ambitious, so noticed, so
confident, yet educated and respected; born on March 3, 1991, the son of Ms.
Melisa Lewis and Mr. Windell Russell. I started out as a baby when I began to
breathe ambition. Determined to get up and walk 2 months before the average
child is exactly what I did. Or maybe it was holding intellectual conversations
with adults at the age of 7 that got me so noticed. Moving from my hometown at
a young age I was introduced to a totally new environment and with confidence.
I began to focus on my education. My
mother, a single parent my entire life, forced me to understand immediately
that education would be the one key ingredient t my success. With the hunger
for success, a passion deep within my soul began to scream out of me at the age
of 9. This passion would sustain all my frustrations. A passion that helped me
through childhood that soon began to depict my future. This was the passion of
Dance. I asked myself, could anyone else share this passion?
Soon to become
one of Rockford Illinois youngest Entrepreneur's; I began to call out for other
children with this passion. Founded in 2006, at the age of 15, I began my own
dance company known as Fatally-Unique. Beginning this with 6 kids, and limited
to practicing in our family’s basement, we started by putting together
performances and wearing matching colors out of our closet. After hard work and
time we hoped someone would eventually notice us. Being reminded of my talent
my entire life, I knew I needed to share it with someone other than myself. Why
not my entire city? Growing over the years I began to make many
accomplishments, along with my dance company. Becoming one of the first young
teenagers to do many great things in this city and I refuse failure. There was
many times when I was doing homework, I would use the world wide search engine,
"Google". Never dreaming that I could be part of “Google” one day
myself; I have always envisioned great things for my life because my mom taught
and consistently instilled into me to never hinder my abilities and the
possibility of going above and beyond the top. Additionally, she taught me that
respect is something that should not be demanded but it must be earned
By the year of 2009,
I became what many would call a young adult or simply said, age 18. Preparing
to graduate from high school, my dance company now 3 years old and impacting
thousands of youth across the Country. I knew that 2009 would be my year, as I
competed against other young African American males in a speech contest. To
start, I received my first Scholarship to College on Martin Luther King Day, from
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. This was the year I knew history would be made.
All I could do was remaining humble and to just be the "Dancer" my
city identified me as. Today, it is my plan to pursue a BA in Business, in
addition to a BFA in Dance at Columbia University in Chicago. My ambition
remains as strong as it’s been my whole life. My only concern is the children I
impact on a daily basis and what the future may have in store for them.
