{"644429":{"#nid":"644429","#data":{"type":"news","title":"The Legacy of Mentorship: Derek Huell Honors Those Who Helped Him Through Helping Others ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen Derek Huell\u0026nbsp;first came to\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech, he\u0026nbsp;was ready for an academic environment to challenge, support, and nurture him in his journey\u0026nbsp;as a\u0026nbsp;neuroscience\u0026nbsp;student on the path to medical school. However, as a 330-pound former\u0026nbsp;football\u0026nbsp;player, Huell noticed that\u0026nbsp;many of\u0026nbsp;his classmates\u0026nbsp;wanted to talk\u0026nbsp;more\u0026nbsp;about\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;high school sporting career and\u0026nbsp;physique\u0026nbsp;than his\u0026nbsp;hopes to become a physician.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;More often than not, when I would meet people, especially in my first semester, one of the common questions I was met with was,\u0026nbsp;\u0026lsquo;Do you play football?\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo; Huell remembers.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;People meant no harm. But at the same time, it\u0026nbsp;just kind\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;appeared\u0026nbsp;like my physical being, my outer presence was saying that I was an athlete\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;versus in my head, I was here to be a student.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a student\u0026nbsp;majoring\u0026nbsp;in neuroscience\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;an undergraduate\u0026nbsp;degree program\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;a majority of\u0026nbsp;female students\u0026nbsp;and a minority of\u0026nbsp;African American\u0026nbsp;students\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;Huell\u0026nbsp;says that early on,\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;would often look around a\u0026nbsp;classroom and\u0026nbsp;realize\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;was the only\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;male\u0026nbsp;student there.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;If they\u0026nbsp;say\u0026nbsp;\u0026lsquo;form groups\u0026rsquo;\u0026nbsp;or\u0026nbsp;something,\u0026nbsp;I\u0026nbsp;look\u0026nbsp;around the room to see if there are other minorities in the room,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;he explains.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;I can join because I know that those people will be more likely to accept me\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;be willing to work with me.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHuell\u0026nbsp;pivoted around\u0026nbsp;two things\u0026nbsp;in those early days at Tech:\u0026nbsp;first, he\u0026nbsp;says he\u0026nbsp;was inspired to\u0026nbsp;focus on\u0026nbsp;health, well-being,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;a different kind of\u0026nbsp;fitness\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;and has since lost 100 pounds. Second, he\u0026nbsp;zeroed in on academics\u0026nbsp;and personal growth\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;and a mission to mentor and advocate for\u0026nbsp;others also finding their freshman footing\u0026nbsp;at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EJourney to Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGrowing up with a father in the military, Huell moved to several different places in the United States before settling in Columbus, Georgia, in\u0026nbsp;fourth\u0026nbsp;grade.\u0026nbsp;At\u0026nbsp;Columbus High School,\u0026nbsp;Huell\u0026nbsp;says, he\u0026nbsp;felt supported\u0026nbsp;and motivated academically\u0026nbsp;by his teachers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThrough his guidance counselor\u0026nbsp;Christopher Porch, Ph.D.,\u0026nbsp;whom\u0026nbsp;Huell shares is \u0026ldquo;definitely one of the shining stars of Columbus High School,\u0026rdquo; Huell was connected to the Gamma Psi\u0026nbsp;Boul\u0026eacute;\u0026nbsp;mentee program in\u0026nbsp;Columbus,\u0026nbsp;which\u0026nbsp;connects\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;male professionals with students during monthly meetings where students\u0026nbsp;have the opportunity to\u0026nbsp;meet mentors and gain personal, professional, and academic advice.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeetings would begin with a presentation on various topics. Huell remembers one about\u0026nbsp;how to deal with the police if you are pulled over as a\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;male\u0026nbsp;and how to de-escalate the situation.\u0026nbsp;After each\u0026nbsp;presentation,\u0026nbsp;the program\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;students and leaders would have casual conversation over dinner about\u0026nbsp;school and their career. During one of these meetings, Huell met Dr. William\u0026nbsp;E.\u0026nbsp;Roundtree.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Dr. Roundtree and I\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;we started talking about medicine and his kind of\u0026nbsp;\u0026lsquo;pursuit\u0026rsquo;\u0026nbsp;of it,\u0026rdquo; says Huell.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;And he even shared how it wasn\u0026#39;t easy for him,\u0026nbsp;and some of the barriers he faced,\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;like,\u0026nbsp;racism and stuff.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHuell shadowed under Roundtree at his medical practice,\u0026nbsp;and soon began to\u0026nbsp;consider\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;future working in medicine,\u0026nbsp;cementing\u0026nbsp;his interest in the medical field.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMentors through the\u0026nbsp;Gamma\u0026nbsp;Psi\u0026nbsp;Boul\u0026eacute;\u0026nbsp;program, including Roundtree,\u0026nbsp;helped\u0026nbsp;Huell think through the college decision process.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026nbsp;think that always, the biggest thing was that I was looking for\u0026nbsp;a school where I wasn\u0026rsquo;t just going to learn the textbooks,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;notes Huell. \u0026ldquo;I wasn\u0026rsquo;t just going to learn from lecture. But I really was going to be pushed to keep the motto of \u0026lsquo;progress and service\u0026rsquo; and transform the future.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThrough\u0026nbsp;Tech\u0026rsquo;s dedication to undergraduate research and thriving\u0026nbsp;startup culture, Huell\u0026nbsp;says he\u0026nbsp;knew that he would have unique opportunities at Georgia Tech that might\u0026nbsp;not\u0026nbsp;have\u0026nbsp;been\u0026nbsp;available elsewhere.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Right now, I\u0026#39;m taking a neuro\u0026nbsp;engineering course,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;says.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;And at\u0026nbsp;most schools, I wouldn\u0026#39;t be able to take their engineering courses because it\u0026#39;s not something that is very common. And so,\u0026nbsp;just things like that, I think,\u0026nbsp;were\u0026nbsp;really big\u0026nbsp;and kind of enhanced\u0026nbsp;my experience beyond just like,\u0026nbsp;taking the same classes everywhere.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith\u0026nbsp;advice from\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;mentors and substantial research\u0026nbsp;on a number of colleges, Huell\u0026nbsp;ultimately decided\u0026nbsp;to attend Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;to study\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/neuroscience\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ENeuroscience\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;with a minor in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/academics\/degrees\/bachelors\/health-and-medical-sciences-minor\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EHealth and Medical Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;on track to medical school\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash; and earned a\u0026nbsp;Stamps President\u0026#39;s Scholarship\u0026nbsp;along the way.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EMaking an Impact on Campus\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWithin his first semester at Georgia Tech, Huell\u0026nbsp;joined several\u0026nbsp;organizations across campus, which Huell says\u0026nbsp;opened up\u0026nbsp;opportunities to give back to the community, access resources for personal and professional development, and form meaningful friendships.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHuell\u0026nbsp;also saw\u0026nbsp;leadership roles in various organizations as an opportunity to impart lasting change on organizations\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;positively influenced him.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;You can actually kind of shape the path that the club goes down, have a voice and work with the other members to make sure\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;that the value that I saw in it translates to the next board and just continues a good,\u0026nbsp;long line down the club,\u0026rdquo; says Huell. \u0026ldquo;You kind of have the opportunity to help establish a long continuity of successful organization.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENow,\u0026nbsp;as a third-year student, he\u0026nbsp;serves as\u0026nbsp;founder of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PAPatGATECH\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EPrecious Angel Project\u003C\/a\u003E, Vice President\u0026nbsp;of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/mapsgt.weebly.com\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMinority-Association of Pre-Medical Students\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;Vice Basileus of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dkques.com\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDelta Kappa Chapter of\u0026nbsp;Omega Psi Phi Fraternity\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;President\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.prehealth.gatech.edu\/neuroscience-club\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ENeuroscience Club\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;and is\u0026nbsp;also\u0026nbsp;on the undergraduate portion of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/faculty-resources\/faculty-diversity-council\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECollege of Sciences Diversity Council\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThrough the\u0026nbsp;Neuroscience\u0026nbsp;Club, Huell\u0026nbsp;represents\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;relatively new major and forms\u0026nbsp;connections with\u0026nbsp;professors\u0026nbsp;and fellow students. Club events encourage students to meet researchers at Georgia Tech and connect their coursework with real-life research.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Neuroscience is good\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;definitely is one of the newer programs at Tech,\u0026rdquo; notes\u0026nbsp;Huell.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;It\u0026#39;s been very open to student feedback and is very versatile.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThrough the Precious Angel Project,\u0026nbsp;Huell\u0026nbsp;has\u0026nbsp;combined his interest in healthcare with his passion for community service\u0026nbsp;by establishing\u0026nbsp;relationships\u0026nbsp;between\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;students and\u0026nbsp;Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s patients in nursing homes.\u0026nbsp;Though the organization is not currently\u0026nbsp;able to physically visit nursing homes\u0026nbsp;due to Covid-19,\u0026nbsp;a pen pal letter writing program has\u0026nbsp;helped safely\u0026nbsp;maintain\u0026nbsp;connections.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHuell also gives back to the Atlanta community through service with Omega Psi Phi, where he\u0026nbsp;has become friends\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;fellow\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;men at Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;who share his vision to help\u0026nbsp;positively impact\u0026nbsp;Atlanta\u0026nbsp;through service and volunteering.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We had a\u0026nbsp;\u0026lsquo;luggage for love\u0026rsquo;\u0026nbsp;event where we accepted donations of luggage\u0026nbsp;and then donated that to the foster care system for Georgia so that foster kids can have just something to put their stuff in,\u0026nbsp;instead of traveling from place to place with only a trash bag or whatnot.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHuell says these\u0026nbsp;activities\u0026nbsp;have\u0026nbsp;highlighted\u0026nbsp;the importance\u0026nbsp;and impact\u0026nbsp;of community service and giving back.\u0026nbsp;He adds that\u0026nbsp;doing\u0026nbsp;these activities with his friends makes them more memorable and enjoyable.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026#39;s a good way, especially during college, to kind of create those bonds with other people who are on a similar track, achieving high goals, going great places.\u0026nbsp;It\u0026#39;s great having brothers, great having friends. And then on the flip side, you get a lot of\u0026nbsp;career influence, career help\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;as well as\u0026nbsp;giving back to the community.\u0026nbsp;So,\u0026nbsp;it\u0026#39;s kind of the best of both worlds.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat\u0026nbsp;combination of service and brotherhood\u0026nbsp;also\u0026nbsp;encouraged Huell\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;deep\u0026nbsp;involvement in Omega Psi Phi.\u0026nbsp;The organization\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;emphasis on giving back and\u0026nbsp;creating a\u0026nbsp;lasting and\u0026nbsp;tangible impact on the community has shaped the vision he sees for his future.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We have kind of illuminated that fact\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;that an important aspect of my career should not just be what I do in the hospital, but it should also be what I do in the community,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;he shares. \u0026ldquo;And when I think about my career, hopefully as a physician\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;you think you\u0026#39;re helping people just in the operating room. I think it\u0026#39;s also important\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;my fraternity\u0026nbsp;showed\u0026nbsp;me that getting back in the community can be just as valuable\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;because you could inspire the next\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;male physician.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGoals\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;inspire the next future physician are\u0026nbsp;echoed in Huell\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;leadership in the Minority-Association of Pre-Medical Students, where intentional emphasis is placed on encouraging minority students\u0026nbsp;to explore\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;achieve\u0026nbsp;their career goals.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Diverse positions are valuable in the workforce, because sometimes when information is communicated by people who maybe reflect you,\u0026nbsp;or may have faced similar difficulties as you, they can relate more and then they kind of give a higher\u0026nbsp;impact level\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;and you know how they can help you. And\u0026nbsp;so,\u0026nbsp;I think that that\u0026#39;s the biggest thing\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;is just creating an easy sense of community,\u0026nbsp;if you know\u0026nbsp;you face similar barriers or if you know you\u0026#39;ll be facing similar barriers moving forward socially.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHuell\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;goal of increasing resources available to minority students is further emphasized through his involvement with the\u0026nbsp;College of Sciences Diversity Council, which he was invited\u0026nbsp;to after meeting\u0026nbsp;now-retired\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/lasting-legacy-celebrating-keith-odens-tenure-tech\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDirector for Academic Diversity, Keith Oden\u003C\/a\u003E, at a College of\u0026nbsp;Sciences\u0026nbsp;event.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the beginning, Huell notes that the\u0026nbsp;Diversity Council\u0026nbsp;did not include undergraduate students\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash; and he\u0026nbsp;was a part of that\u0026nbsp;first cohort of\u0026nbsp;younger\u0026nbsp;student members. He\u0026nbsp;shares that through the Council, he\u0026nbsp;has appreciated the opportunity to concretely impact diversity and inclusion initiatives to help other students like himself.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026#39;s been\u0026nbsp;really good,\u0026nbsp;because I think that it allowed me to see how\u0026nbsp;you can play a role in giving back early\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;while you\u0026#39;re still a\u0026nbsp;student\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;helping\u0026nbsp;the next on campus,\u0026nbsp;as well as sculpting your own experience through your continued involvement and using your voice.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003ECelebrating\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;History Month\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile the spectrum\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;academics and\u0026nbsp;activities\u0026nbsp;that Huell focuses on are a\u0026nbsp;daily practice in inspiring and\u0026nbsp;helping,\u0026nbsp;he notes that\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;History Month\u0026nbsp;is a celebratory marker each year that\u0026nbsp;symbolizes \u0026ldquo;the progress and inherent improvement that\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;people have been able to make and contribute to society\u0026nbsp;despite many barriers they may have faced.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;If we\u0026#39;re looking at different poets or different writers, they may have been undervalued due to their race,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;he notes.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;But they keep writing. Or if we look at civil rights leaders, they may have been arrested or beaten, but they keep fighting for equality.\u0026nbsp;So,\u0026nbsp;I think a lot of it is about kind of that perseverance of\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;people as a whole\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;as well as kind of commemorating and honoring a lot of the progress that we\u0026#39;ve made as a race, especially in the United States.\u0026quot;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHuell says that this year,\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;History Month is especially relevant to him\u0026nbsp;as he remembers the deaths of Georgia Floyd,\u0026nbsp;Ahmaud\u0026nbsp;Arbery, and others that\u0026nbsp;sparked powerful social justice\u0026nbsp;protests and\u0026nbsp;movements last\u0026nbsp;summer\u0026nbsp;and fall.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I attended multiple protests in my hometown after we finished finals,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;he shares. \u0026ldquo;And it was really powerful to be out there,\u0026nbsp;and be uniting with other people who you may not know.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe adds that every\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;History Month,\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;tries to engage with a different book, documentary, poem, or artwork\u0026nbsp;weekly\u0026nbsp;that was written by a\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;author or highlights the history of\u0026nbsp;African Americans\u0026nbsp;in the United States.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I actually do enjoy poetry, so I\u0026#39;ll read significant\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;poets,\u0026nbsp;such as\u0026nbsp;Langston Hughes,\u0026nbsp;to relate the words that they\u0026#39;re saying, and their\u0026nbsp;symbolic mechanisms to stuff that\u0026#39;s going on now because, well, times have changed, but\u0026nbsp;we still do see some similar struggles. And because we are seeing those things, I think that,\u0026nbsp;largely,\u0026nbsp;a lot of their writings and things are still applicable.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe\u0026nbsp;specifically recommends\u0026nbsp;reading Hughes\u0026rsquo;\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;I, Too\u0026rdquo; and\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;Mother to\u0026nbsp;Son\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;poems.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHuell\u0026nbsp;also encourages people to talk to\u0026nbsp;older\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;people in their families\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;communities\u0026nbsp;to learn about their\u0026nbsp;stories and\u0026nbsp;experiences\u0026nbsp;living through segregation and discrimination.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHuell\u0026nbsp;says he\u0026nbsp;talked to his grandfather, who\u0026nbsp;lived\u0026nbsp;in Miami, Florida, and learned about the discrimination he faced while purchasing a\u0026nbsp;house\u0026nbsp;decades ago.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHuell shares that talking to older generations is like \u0026ldquo;uncovering history.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;He\u0026nbsp;adds that he\u0026nbsp;recently\u0026nbsp;learned about the\u0026nbsp;national\u0026nbsp;response to Martin Luther King\u0026nbsp;Jr.\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;1968\u0026nbsp;death\u0026nbsp;in Memphis, Tennessee\u0026nbsp;through conversations with elders\u0026nbsp;and was surprised that he had never heard about that part of history.\u0026nbsp;Through these talks, he\u0026nbsp;also uncovered more details about his grandfather\u0026rsquo;s background and\u0026nbsp;personal\u0026nbsp;history.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA\u0026nbsp;drive to honor the legacy\u0026nbsp;and strength\u0026nbsp;of his family members\u0026nbsp;encourages Huell daily through his activities as a student and leader. He reflects on the support of his parents, teachers, advisors,\u0026nbsp;friends,\u0026nbsp;and mentors with gratitude.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the future, Huell hopes to create a network of\u0026nbsp;Black\u0026nbsp;mentors to support\u0026nbsp;pre-med\u0026nbsp;students in their educational careers\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;just\u0026nbsp;as\u0026nbsp;leaders and friends have supported him.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;My eventual goal is to create a national network of minority physicians looking to uplift the next generation\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;pre-med students,\u0026nbsp;says Huell. \u0026ldquo;Eighty percent\u0026nbsp;of pre-med students don\u0026#39;t go to medical school. And\u0026nbsp;so,\u0026nbsp;there\u0026#39;s kind of like a big drop off between being pre-med and then becoming a doctor. You lose a lot of people there,\u0026nbsp;just because\u0026nbsp;classes are hard and it\u0026#39;s difficult.\u0026nbsp;I think that it would be good to have,\u0026nbsp;kind of like a constant person you can look to and be like,\u0026nbsp;\u0026lsquo;I can ask them if I need anything,\u0026nbsp;or I can call them and they\u0026#39;ll give me advice or\u0026nbsp;we can relate based upon,\u0026nbsp;you know, we both have been through this.\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThird-year Neuroscience student\u0026nbsp;discusses his involvements at Georgia Tech, career goals, and thoughts and reflections on Black History Month.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Third-year Neuroscience student discusses his involvements at Georgia Tech, career goals, and thoughts and reflections on Black History Month. "}],"uid":"35185","created_gmt":"2021-02-18 02:53:59","changed_gmt":"2021-03-05 04:04:43","author":"kpietkiewicz3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-18T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-18T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"644423":{"id":"644423","type":"image","title":"Derek Huell is a third-year Neuroscience major on a pre-med track.","body":null,"created":"1613615287","gmt_created":"2021-02-18 02:28:07","changed":"1613615287","gmt_changed":"2021-02-18 02:28:07","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244665","name":"derek6.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/derek6.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/derek6.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":123511,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/derek6.jpg?itok=CFn_T5cU"}},"644424":{"id":"644424","type":"image","title":"Growing up with a father in the military, Huell moved to several different places in the United States before settling in Columbus, Georgia and attending Columbus High School.","body":null,"created":"1613615496","gmt_created":"2021-02-18 02:31:36","changed":"1613615496","gmt_changed":"2021-02-18 02:31:36","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244666","name":"derek3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/derek3.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/derek3.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":206023,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/derek3.jpg?itok=yKZedwB5"}},"644427":{"id":"644427","type":"image","title":"Huell chose to attend Georgia Tech to be \u0022pushed to keep the motto of \u2018progress and service\u2019 and transform the future.\u201d","body":null,"created":"1613616076","gmt_created":"2021-02-18 02:41:16","changed":"1613616076","gmt_changed":"2021-02-18 02:41:16","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244670","name":"derek4.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/derek4.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/derek4.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":326994,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/derek4.jpg?itok=0yGznhgQ"}},"644425":{"id":"644425","type":"image","title":"At Georgia Tech, Huell quickly got involved with many organizations, such as the Minority Association of Pre-Med Students (pictured).","body":null,"created":"1613615668","gmt_created":"2021-02-18 02:34:28","changed":"1613615668","gmt_changed":"2021-02-18 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Wheaton"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/celebrating-black-history-month-letting-diversity-shine-alonzo-whyte","title":"Celebrating Black History Month: Letting Diversity Shine with Alonzo Whyte"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/celebrating-black-history-month-importance-representation-crystal-bell","title":"Celebrating Black History Month: The Importance of Representation with Crystal Bell"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"443951","name":"School of Psychology"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1304","name":"neuroscience"},{"id":"736","name":"diversity"},{"id":"14601","name":"mentorship"},{"id":"288","name":"Leadership"},{"id":"171373","name":"student leadership"},{"id":"1452","name":"Black History 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