“Embrace the challenge no matter how hard it is,” Terrell said.
After the death of his wife, Don Terrell, 68, embarked on a journey of healing and living his life to the fullest by achieving lifetime goals he once put off to be a devoted husband and father to four daughters.
BlavityU had the chance to speak with Terrell about becoming a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity in his 60s, what he learned from the organization and what life has taught him thus far.
Celebrating five years of being a Kappa, Terrell said it was always on his list of things to accomplish.
“It’s been a lifelong dream. I wanted to join when I was an undergraduate at Kent State University, but I didn’t have the proper understanding of what Greek organizations meant,” Terrell said when reflecting on his college years.
Always interested in being a part of a Black organization, Terrell shared how he and a classmate planned to start an on-campus club that educated students on Afrocentric foundations, but life took a turn for Terrell, prompting him to leave his education behind.
“Actually, a friend of mine and I were almost going to start another organization based on the African Foundation, but as time went on, I dropped out of school, got married, had children, and always dreamt of having an association with a Greek organization,” Terrell said.
Wanting to finish what he started, Terrell went back to school to obtain his Bachelor’s degree from Central State University in 2008.
“Once I put my education on hold, and I was able to get back in school and graduate — I just needed to join because I wanted to finish or accomplish what I started off doing,” he said.
