THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 14, 1996 TAG: 9606140056
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 61 lines
HE'LL MISS the family, the comforts of home, the familiar faces.
But 17-year-old Robert Stitt Jr. can't wait to begin his college career at Virginia State this August.
The Woodrow Wilson High graduate says he's now ready to take off the training wheels and get down to business in college - thanks to guidance from his mom and his own positive attitude.
``My mother has always been there for me and she's always told me that you need to make something of yourself because, if you go astray, you're only going to be in one of two places: either jail or dead,'' he said.
``. . . I just made up in my mind that if I can help it, I'm not going to be like that.
``First of all, I don't want to be a statistic. I want to be that unique black man. I don't want to become something my family wouldn't like or something that would embarrass my family - and especially my mother.''
For a while, Robert wondered whether he'd be able to adjust to the college scene.
That period of self-doubt didn't last long.
He kept in touch with four buddies who went off to college last year; they told him it wasn't so bad.
``I know that I will be able to stay focused'' in college, he said. ``I'm sure now because I've talked with a lot of people and I'm determined.
``Even now, I come home and do my homework and clean up or whatever without my mother calling me to ask if it's been done.''
In many ways, Robert already has made his mark.
This school year, he was named Homecoming King; ``Most Popular'' guy; and ``Friendliest'' guy.
He served as an Urban League peer facilitator, speaking to groups about AIDS prevention.
And he maintained decent grades while holding down a part-time job at a local restaurant and participating in a host of extracurricular activities, ranging from the golf team to the yearbook staff.
``I just like staying busy,'' he said. ``I feel that any student, any person who stays busy decreases the amount of time they can get in trouble.
``I know that because I'm into a lot of things and I'm doing a lot of things, I'm not as focused on a whole bunch of negative stuff.''
A big fan of ``COPS'' and similar television shows, Robert wants to work for the FBI someday.
``I just want to help my community,'' he said, explaining his career choice. ``Drugs are not coming in through people who are running it in the projects or whatever. They're coming from overseas.
``I want to stop it before it comes over here.''
Don't mistake him for an angel, though. He says he's a ``typical'' teenage guy who likes to hang out and have a good time every now and then.
So, what distinguishes him from the crowd?
``My attitude,'' he said. ``I have a real positive attitude and I think positively when it comes to basically anything.
``I make sure not to let a lot of things hinder me from what I need to do. And I put my trust in God.'' ILLUSTRATION: CANDICE C. CUSIC
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