Spring Break
One student's quest for redemption
Alexia Lang
Issue date: 6/1/09 Section: News
"The one thing UMKC still had was my degree," Turner said. "They would not release it until I paid my debt. It took a lot out of me seeing all these people from my past."
Laurence Leach, who has known Turner since Turner originally came to UMKC, said he is impressed with how he has handled himself.
"Go from being big man on campus to the opposite and then back," Leach said. "I mean it's not exactly how things were before. But now he is much more mature. He is back on campus and he has moved on from the issue. It has prepared him for things that will come in the future. That's the way life is, right?"
Leach said Turner has handled the entire situation well.
"He serves as a good example of how to handle yourself when things aren't going well for you," he said. "Handle yourself professionally, follow the rules. It's a lot easier to make a situation worse than it is to make it better. And he clearly made it better."
Turner, who recently completed an internship with Councilwoman Melba Curls, said things have been looking up for him.
"Great things have been happening to me. I worked so hard to get to where I am now."
He said he is a little bitter about the situation, but not angry.
He was finally able to release some steam in a performance class taught by Scott Stackhouse. In an assigned rant, he spoke out about the injustice he had endured and let his fellow students and professor know the feelings he worked so hard to hide throughout the ordeal.
"Can anybody make a complaint about anybody and can they just get away with it?" he asked. "I mean, can that girl do the same thing to somebody else and just get away with it? This happens not just at UMKC. It happens around the country. These are just questions I have that I thought I might not ever get an answer."
As a pre-Law student, Turner said he has thought a lot about the laws in place and the people who can't defend themselves.
"There are two sides of every story," he said. "But the number one thing about people is that people will believe whatever they want to believe."
With increased faith in God, Turner said he is looking ahead to a brighter future.
"Everything I have gone through has only made me stronger. I'm a better man."
alang@unews.com
Laurence Leach, who has known Turner since Turner originally came to UMKC, said he is impressed with how he has handled himself.
"Go from being big man on campus to the opposite and then back," Leach said. "I mean it's not exactly how things were before. But now he is much more mature. He is back on campus and he has moved on from the issue. It has prepared him for things that will come in the future. That's the way life is, right?"
Leach said Turner has handled the entire situation well.
"He serves as a good example of how to handle yourself when things aren't going well for you," he said. "Handle yourself professionally, follow the rules. It's a lot easier to make a situation worse than it is to make it better. And he clearly made it better."
Turner, who recently completed an internship with Councilwoman Melba Curls, said things have been looking up for him.
"Great things have been happening to me. I worked so hard to get to where I am now."
He said he is a little bitter about the situation, but not angry.
He was finally able to release some steam in a performance class taught by Scott Stackhouse. In an assigned rant, he spoke out about the injustice he had endured and let his fellow students and professor know the feelings he worked so hard to hide throughout the ordeal.
"Can anybody make a complaint about anybody and can they just get away with it?" he asked. "I mean, can that girl do the same thing to somebody else and just get away with it? This happens not just at UMKC. It happens around the country. These are just questions I have that I thought I might not ever get an answer."
As a pre-Law student, Turner said he has thought a lot about the laws in place and the people who can't defend themselves.
"There are two sides of every story," he said. "But the number one thing about people is that people will believe whatever they want to believe."
With increased faith in God, Turner said he is looking ahead to a brighter future.
"Everything I have gone through has only made me stronger. I'm a better man."
alang@unews.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Austin Case
posted 8/05/09 @ 10:49 PM CST
I couldn't be more happy for this guy! Here is a guy that was screwed over by the university in every way possible, but still bleeds umkc. Most students will never have to deal with the kind of stuff Kwame has, and they should be thankful, as I am sure most would fail where he has succeeded. (Continued…)
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