First Year - Sparkle Sykes
Seventh grader Sparkle Sykes feels good! This is something she reminds us of every few hours by breaking out into a spontaneous rendition of the James Brown classic. We’ve got to hand it to her, the girl’s got charisma! Maybe she feels so good because, as one of our newest Freedom Fellows, Ms. Sykes has found a place where her potential can shine through. A determined young lady with an infectious personality, we’re excited to see great things from this budding young LEADer.
Favorite part of being a Freedom Fellow: Learning new things
Future College: Still deciding, but a big, urban school!
Future Career: Talk show host and a drum major in a band
What she’s up to now: Ms. Sykes is taking Freedom School by storm. She’s turned around her early difficulty with punctuality, already recruited a friend to join, and is now serving as Student Council Secretary. Go Ms. Sykes!
Second Year - Latavius Pleas
Eighth grader Latavius Pleas is always up for a challenge. A second year in the Freedom Project, Mr. Pleas is the oldest of 10 siblings and lives in Sunflower, Mississippi. Mr. Pleas’ affable nature has blasted through the timid exterior he originally exhibited at the Freedom Project. Whether it was sitting in on the “Country Western Music” class he inadvertently signed up for while visiting Duke University, finishing reading The Hatchet after a dubious first impression, or performing a Contact Improvisation dance for an academic conference, Mr. Pleas has consistently come away from experiences advising other fellows, “if you just try it, you’ll probably really like it!” This exceptionally astute advice is fast becoming Mr. Pleas’ modus operandi. We can’t wait to see where it takes him!
Favorite part of being a Freedom Fellow: Fitness classes!
Future College: UNC-Chapel Hill
Future Career: Non-profit management, Police Officer, or an NFL Player
What he’s up to now: Mr. Pleas is LEADing the new students on to a successful summer at Freedom School and showing them how it’s done: he hasn’t missed a single homework assignment yet!
Third Year - Demarcus Gillespie
Demarcus Gillespie is one of the smartest goofballs you’ll ever meet. Mr. Gillespie lives in Indianola with his adopted family, including three brothers and and a spirited sister (two of whom are also Freedom Fellows). Now through with his middle school career, ninth grader Mr. Gillespie has used his humor and self confidence to stay true to himself throughout his schooling. His love for playing basketball is met with a deep knowledge of the game that made him a superb manager for the Merritt Middle School Boys’ Team. Mr. Gillespie’s competitive spirit and bold confidence will help him achieve his dream of becoming a broadcast journalist.
Favorite part of being a Freedom Fellow : Coming to the LEAD Center – it’s a nice atmosphere.
Future College: University of Kansas
Future Career: Broadcast Journalist
What he’s up to now: This dynamic LEADer is running most of the morning meetings during his last summer in Freedom School.
Fourth Year – Mykia Clayton
Mykia Clayton is a force to be reckoned with. She is gifted athlete and a natural scholar. Ms. Clayton is preparing for her tenth grade year at Gentry High School in Indianola. Although she lives with her aunt, a Civil Rights veteran, in Sunflower, Ms. Clayton chose to transfer to an Indianola school because she wanted a greater challenge than her prior high school could offer. Her talkative nature helps her make fast friends with any new Freedom Fellow or visiting intern. Ms. Clayton is already itching to go to college where she can study a more varied range of subjects and is most excited for Cultural Anthropology classes at Duke University.
Favorite part of being a Freedom Fellow : the Summer Interns!
Future College: Duke University
Future Career: Anthropologist
What she’s up to now: Ms. Clayton has been hand-selected to participate in the inaugural oral history camp with the William Winters Institute at Ole Miss. While preparing for this opportunity, she is also helping Mr. McCoy lead the Fitness classes at Freedom School.
Fifth Year - Kenyon King
You may not know the name Kenyon King right now, but, rest assured, you will. Mr. King is a rising junior and will attend the prestigious Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science this fall Columbus, Mississippi and he’s already an incredible young entrepreneur. Mr. King’s ambition in business is reflected in his profitable snack sales venture and Delta Youth Clean, an undertaking that employs several of his peers and serves communities around Sunflower County. Mr. King finances his business ventures with money earned from his after school job at Sonic Drive-In. A believer in corporate responsibility, Mr. King also donates some of his profits to the Freedom Project. Mr. King has been heard on the Radio Home of the Mississippi River Kings where he advocated for the Freedom Project and he was featured in a Nick News segment. In between all of these activities, Mr. King still finds time to attend nearly every available study session at the Freedom Project.
Favorite part of being a Freedom Fellow: The extracurricular opportunities!
Future College: New York University
Future Career: Entrepreneur and Actor
What he’s up to now: Mr. King has been hand-selected to participate in the inaugural oral history camp with the William Winters Institute at Ole Miss. While preparing for that and his new school this fall, Mr. King is continuing his work at Sonic, completing a management internship with a local Indianola business, and occasionally attending math classes at Freedom School to help review for his courses this fall.
Sixth Year - Michael Burse
Sixth Year Michael Burse is known especially for two things: his smile and his hair. Both are quite big. Hailing from Moorhead, Mississippi where he lives with his mother, younger brother and sister, and a large dog named “Pee Wee”, Mr. Burse is now a rising senior at Gentry High School. Bursy, as he is affectionately known by his classmates, has a passion for animation and has debuted various media projects at the annual SCFP Multimedia Festival. Despite his continued interest in the arts, which has even included a stint in contact improvisation dance, Mr. Burse’s ambitions lie in nature’s laboratories. With one eye on a college degree, Mr. Burse is striving toward success as a Marine Biologist.
Favorite part of being a Freedom Fellow: It’s just like having another family!
Future College: Texas A&M or UNC-Chapel Hill or Ole Miss
Future Career: Marine Biologist
What he’s up to now: Mr. Burse is having a busy summer as a volunteer for camp Looking Glass in Greenwood, MS, a camp for mentally challenged young people.
