CARSON

Fighting an Uphill Battle

Kevin Carson (Roxbury, Mass.) went to a high school where he was one of 15 black students in a class of 1200. "I was bused out to the school and I never really felt like I was a part of it." Carson said he made a "conscious decision" upon coming to Dartmouth that he would "participate in as many activities as possible, and get to know as many students, professors, and administrators as possible" to make up for high school.

A man of his word, Carson has since lettered in varsity track, served as president of The Afro-American Society, vice president of Casque and Gauntlet Senior Society, traveled on an LSA program to Mexico and been a member the Trustees Committee on Undergraduate Affairs, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and the National Society of Black Engineers.

Carson's record might be termed "impressive" on the basis of these accomplishments alone but it is nothing short of amazing when one considers that he grew up in a predominantly black ghetto of Roxbury. "I was not only a black student, but a black student with no money from a city area. No matter how well you did in high school, how confident you are that you could succeed at Dartmouth, questions and doubts are thrown at you be it from The Dartmouth Review or students who haven't been around black students before.

"Somehow coming out of the city, coming out of the ghetto, you have a bleaker outlook of what the world will offer you. You feel that no matter how hard you try to excel, the world will push you back to the ghetto."

One of Carson's largest responsibilities was his oneyear tenure as president of the Afro-Am, a position he describes as "a 24-hour commitment." His duties included overseeing the 300-member organization's budget, scheduling events and providing "a channel for black students on campus to the administration."

Assistant Dean of the College Kenneth Lewallin, the Afro-Ann's financial advisor, said he was impressed most by Carson's involvement. "What I mean by that is that in the past some Afro-Am chairmen have been heavy, one-issue people. Kevin has been able to transcend that and become involved in athletics and a senior society and to undergo a rigorous academic program. Other people in other years have not had his success."

Of athletics, Carson, who has long-jumped almost 23 feet, speaks with the same seriousness. "You get a chance to test yourself and push yourself. It differs from life in that you get to see the results, feel the results and there's a great amount of satisfaction from pushing, getting rid of the excuses."

Head track and field coach Carl Wallin called Carson "hard-working" and "very coachable" and most of all competitive. "The bigger the meet, the better he jumps. He just wants to please his coaches and his peers."

In spite of all his accomplishments, Carson said the term he spent on Dartmouth's language program, in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, probably affected his thinking the most."The chance of going outside the country, speaking the language, actually living with a family, living a culture; it just gave me a better view of the world and made me want to see more of it."

About the transition from Roxbury to Mexico, he added, "It was taking a chance, going to a culture where being an American you are a minority. You have to adjust. A special part is learning to appreciate your neighbors and their culture . . . learning that Spanish is not a class, but a language and a culture."

Carson, who is a biology major modified with computer science, hopes to attend medical school after a year of post-graduate program to finish up his premed course work he had not decided on medicine until junior year. He said he will also campaign hard to encourage other students with his background to attend Dartmouth. "You don't grow up in Roxbury saying, 'I want to be a doctor; I want a computer science degree.' And you don't get that kind of support from people around you.

. . . It's going from one world to another." He adds that his mother gave him the support he needed and now he would like to provide it for others. "A lot of minority students need to hear a lot about the good things about Dartmouth, a lot of the nice changes. ..."

"Somehow comingout of the city, coming out of the ghetto,you have a bleakeroutlook of what theworld will offer you.You feel that no matter how hard you tryto excel, the worldwill push you back tothe ghetto."