COVER STORY
and brought the National Champion- ship Trophy back to Chapel Hill for the sixth time. Less than two weeks after that thrilling tournament run, the Journal staff had the opportunity to interview the starting power forward for the 2017 NCAA National Champion University of North Carolina Tar Heels, Kennedy R. Meeks. He was gracious enough to take time from his schedule to grant the interview. Here’s how it unfolded. Journal: What led you to seek mem- bership in Kappa Alpha Psi ® ? Meeks: The biggest thing was the objectives. Also, the motto, “Achieve- ment in every field of human endeavor,” really stood out to me. It’s something
that I really try to live by.
guys be around for the rest of my life would also be cool. Journal: What was your childhood like? Were you raised in the traditional two-parent home? Meeks: Absolutely not! It was just me, my mom and my little sister. It was really rough. My mom was just trying to figure things out to provide for us the best that she could. I guess that’s another reason why I love basketball. It provides an opportunity for me to be able to provide for my family someday. It wasn’t an easy road. Basketball helped provide an escape. My dad and I remain close, even though he wasn’t in the house when I was growing up.
Journal: Was Kappa something that you knew you wanted to pursue before going to college, or was it a decision that you made after being on campus and doing research? Meeks: A little bit of both. It was always something that was in the back of my mind. It started to become a reality when my friends that were around me began to talk about doing it. There was a little concern that it could get in the way of basketball, but it was a part of me growing up and I realized it would be beneficial to have something outside of the team who I’m with 24 hours a day. To have another group of like-minded guys that I could count on. Having those
66 | SPRING 2017 THE JOURNAL
Publishing achievement for more than 100 years
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker