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Tajiri Arts. While at Talladega, I further developed my appreciation for the visual and performing arts.

Memorable College Events

My college years left me with many treasured memories. I’d like to share a few very special ones with you.

Opportunities to Visit the Hometowns of My College Friends. I was not able to go home but twice a year – Christmas vacation

and at the end of the school year. My friends would invite me to Atlanta, Georgia; Tuskegee, Alabama; and Huntsville,
Alabama. Those trips were so enjoyable. I also traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, with the Drama/Theater Department

as a stage manager with the Talladega Players. As a college choir member, my mother hosted the choir’s visit to my hometown

of Sanford, Florida, for a concert. During this Florida Concert Tour, we visited a number of cities in Florida, including Miami,
Fort Lauderdale, Riviera Beach, Tampa, and Orlando, Florida. All of our living accommodations were in people’s homes, and

we were fed either at a school’s cafeteria or at a church.

My First Engagement. My first love was James Sterling of Tallapoosa, Alabama, and we were engaged during my junior year at

Talladega. Our intentions were to get married after my graduation. Sterling did not complete his college education due to
financial difficulties, and he later joined the Armed Forces. I was to join him in New York, and my parents were totally against

these plans. As I think about it, I’m really glad those plans fell through. I don’t know what our union would have created, but
I do know that God had a different master plan, and I do not regret the paths He chose for my life!