Best in Class Kirkwood Community College

Joshua Hollie's essay was selected by his peers at Kirkwood Community College as "Best in Class." When he isn't kidding around with his baby brother, he's working out in the gym or hanging out with his friends. Josh plans to major in psychology. Congratulations, Josh!

Freedom in Friendship

  by Joshua Hollie

Here we were standing in our new high school, 
my brother and I, gawking at our peers in 
astonishment. Their style of dress, choice of 
words, and even their posture differed from our own. With a shock, we realized: We two were 
the only black students in the entire school.  Wuzzup, Iowa! 

This was quite the contrast from John P. Altgeld, the school we

attended just a few months prior. Because Altgeld was located on
the south side of Chicago’s inner city, the school was notorious 
for being filled with trouble makers. Security guards were always
on duty, and often Altgeld seemed more like a prison than an
educational institution.

During our Chicago years we lived on the edge. My mother
suffered from a crack cocaine addiction, and though she became
clean numerous times, temptation always took its toll, as she
slipped back into her old habits.

My father’s whereabouts were unknown. I can remember saying, 
“I miss dad,” failing to realize he would never return. The sound 
of gang life had also become normal, as I can recall the
pop-popping of gunfire at night and my sister’s urgent whisper,
“Stay down!”

Left with no other option, my mother rekindled her relationship
with my stepdad, who had left Chicago and found a new life in 
Huxley, Iowa. When we arrived in Huxley, the smell of hog
manure penetrated my nostrils, sickening me to the point of
vomiting. Furthermore, being used to the city skyline, I was
infuriated when the only scenery was long rows of cornfields.

After meeting my new classmates, my mindset was: How could
these people who have lived such sheltered and privileged lives
connect with me?

However, seeing my mother overcome addiction inspired me. 
I knew that in order to adapt, I must accept my fears, accept my peers, 
and accept that the things I would hear and see would be
different from how life used to be. My brother and I began playing
basketball and football, and I went on to break three of Ballard’s
weight room records: pull ups, dips, and front squats.

Through sports my brother and I found kinship with individuals 
we still keep in touch with today. Although my Iowa friends hadn’t
endured the harsh reality of the world we grew up in, they still 
had their own day-to-day problems.

Now seven years later, my mother remains drug free. She went
back to school and landed a nursing job, and her strength gives me
faith that anything is possible. Sadly, most of my old Chicago 
friends are either dead, in jail, or running the streets.

So I came to realize: This place we resented so much saved our
lives, and even the smell of the manure has become bittersweet. 
It just goes to show. Not only can people from different 
backgrounds co-exist, they can also build life-long and life-saving
friendships.