Dean Kimbrough, this one's for you.

I was a little nervous about attending Florida A&M University. I knew it was the place that God wanted me to attend, but I still had my reservations. All I could hear were the naysayers:

"What can FAMU really offer you?"

"They don't even have a decent graduation rate."

"I heard they had roaches in the dorms."

"There are no opportunities at such a small college."

"You can do so much better than FAMU, Nathan."

Boy, were they wrong.

During my time at the #1 HBCU in the land, I've already been exposed to so much, more than I could ever imagine. I've met and worked with Grammy award winners, worked the camera during a live televised broadcast, written for the campus magazine, and most importantly, found some actual direction for my future career. This is far more than most first year college students can say about their own experiences.

And that's all thanks to you, Dean.

Thank you for always telling me what I need to hear.

Thank you for being dedicated to your responsibilities as the Dean, and going beyond them for the betterment of the students.

Thank you for always taking a moment to converse when I stop by your office, even though you have a million more important things you could be doing.

Thank you for providing Chick-Fil-A and Subway often, because a cafeteria food-only diet can't be all that great for my body.

Most importantly, thank you for believing in me and my dreams, and doing what you can to help those dreams come true.

I hope you enjoy your birthday and get everything you want and then some.

You deserve it.