Family motto provides return on investment While playing football for the MSU Bulldogs, Glen Young learned the truth behind the adage, “no pain, no gain.” Used by countless coaches to motivate players during long, hot practices, he quickly realized the benefit of applying that idea to everyday life. Today, his daughters Chamel, Glenda and Jasmine, have put their own twist on his maxim to get through long, stressful nights studying engineering.
“’No deposit, no return’, that’s our motto,” Glenda explained. “It’s something our dad taught us. It pushes us to never be afraid to go for what we want, just persevere, work through it and make sacrifices up front. That way, we can do whatever we choose in the future.” The sisters always knew their futures would include college degrees, but it was Chamel who first entertained the idea of studying engineering. She became active in Starkville High School’s junior chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and decided to study computer engineering at Mississippi State. Knowing that her two younger sisters would soon be following in her footsteps, she had more than the usual freshman stressors weighing on her mind. “I knew I had younger siblings watching me and that I had to be there for them as a role model,” Chamel said. “I made the decision to set goals and stick to them. I knew that if I went to school and got a degree, they would see what I went through and what I did to be successful.” Glenda and Jasmine explained that their oldest sister’s college experience served as their formal introduction to engineering and helped establish their goals for the future.
Bagley College of Engineering
“I saw what Chamel did in high school and knew that I needed to do what she did, plus a little more,” said Glenda, a senior in industrial and systems engineering. “That way, I’m living up to her example, but still accomplishing things on my own. I think that is part of the reason we each ended up choosing different majors. We all chose engineering, but we put our own spin on it and chose something that fit our individual personalities.” Jasmine, a chemical engineering major, added, “I’ve always looked at my sisters as examples and that means I have two success stories to build on as I finish school.” Beyond their classroom accomplishments, the sisters have each left their mark on campus organizations. Chamel served as president of Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education for two years, Glenda was inducted into the Bagley College of Engineering Hall of Fame, and Jasmine, a sophomore, is already active on campus and is helping breathe new life into an organization for chemically minded students. However, despite the desire to achieve more than the others, by choosing three distinct paths, the sisters have avoided many of the pitfalls of sibling rivalry. It only takes a few minutes of conversation to see how truly proud they are of one another.
“Seeing how successful Chamel has been able to be, it’s living proof that hard work really does pay off,” Glenda said. “She was able to accomplish so much and she did it while getting married and starting a family. It was like Super Chamel. If she can do it through all of that, I know that we can do it, too.”
Chamel completed her bachelor’s in 2006 and earned a master’s in computer science in 2008. She currently works for the Department of Defense in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, Marcus Evans, and 2-year-old son, Braylon. Glenda intends to enter a graduate school after completing her undergraduate degree and later work in the health care industry and consulting. Jasmine plans to minor in food science so she can work in the food manufacturing industry when she graduates. With the “no deposit, no return” motto firmly instilled in their minds, Chamel knows she can bank on the fact that Glenda and Jasmine will accomplish everything they set out to do. In fact, she believes that the hard-working, success-topping mentality will lead to great things for generations of Youngs to come. “Each generation should be better than the one before, but that doesn’t mean that everyone has to follow the same path. By sacrificing up front, you can have the same kind of success, but do what makes you happy,” Chamel said. “I want our children to grow up knowing what we did and that they can do even better—to see the things that we’ve succeeded in and eventually go above and beyond that in their own lives.” _________________________________ Written by Susan H. Lassetter slassetter@bagley.msstate.edu
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