In addition to a performance by poet and activist Odd?Rod on Feb. 26, students were audience to the works of five of MSU’s own—including Brett Lincoln, mass communication junior, who debuted his spoken word poems “Letter to a Grieving Father” and “Lion’s Den” for the University Programming Board’s poetry night.
Though he claimed to be nervous, Lincoln’s delivery was smooth and successful, receiving applause both from students and Odd?Rod, who listened nearby.
“I come from a very musical household,” Lincoln said. “Singing has always been something I’ve done; however, with the spoken word, it is really a way for me to get my feelings out.”
According to Lincoln, he did not always feel able to do so. Comments from his instructors were, at times, of little encouragement, even suggesting to him that his voice was “not worthy of being heard.”
He has since worked to prove them wrong.
“I went into mass communication because it helps you develop that voice, [to] understand the power and the impact that that voice can have, and what you can give to the world,” he said.
Lincoln plans to translate his speaking skills into a career in contract law.
“I have always had this want and need to see justice done, by any person,” he said. “I feel that those people who don’t have a voice need to be spoken for. I think that’s what lawyers are supposed to do. If I can represent just or righteous interest in somebody and somehow fight for the justice that they deserve, then I’ve done a great for them and society.”
While a degree in history is generally the choice for students of similar interests, Lincoln said he feels one in mass communication will serve him better. With it he said he will be better prepared to interact with his clients and navigate the media, offering the best possible image to them. On the other hand, should his goals change to exclude law, he will be able to pursue a career in the field he loves.
“I thought this would be a great field to go into prior to law school,” Lincoln said. “It just helps you really get an understanding of different subsets of society: What they’re doing, what they want, how to really appeal to them, regarding anything that they do… They want diverse people to go into law school.”
Lincoln joined MSU last fall in pursuit of basketball, having found his experience at four other universities unsatisfactory. While he no longer plays for the team due to an illness, he finds himself drawn to public speaking and campus activism.
“I can say a lot is messed up, but at the end of the day I’m the one who has the power to try to fix something, and that’s what I want to do,” he said.
He has joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on top of writing and poetry clubs, also advocating for black awareness, the environment and anti-bullying campaigns presently and in the past. He has acted as a mentor and supported Invisible Children. He expressed that, while he is a part of many campus activities, he doesn’t necessarily pursue them for the sake of padding his resume.
“A lot of people don’t understand that love isn’t always glorious. It’s going out with people that you know, being humble, making a sacrifice of your time and funds and giving it to somebody else,” Lincoln said. “That’s the love that we’re called to abide in as humans and especially as Americans. It’s great to get involved.”
He expects to graduate from MSU with a minor in public relations December 2016, hopefully moving on to attend law school in the Dallas area, where he received most of his early education. He said he likes to envision himself receiving a “ten-gallon hat to wear in the courtroom” in recognition of his law degree.
“Even though I’m not a native, I feel the biggest and the best things come from Texas,” he said. “If I’m going to be a lawyer, I’m going to be a Texan lawyer.”
Lincoln said he aims for the moon with his career. He became a voracious reader early on in life, honing in on Thurgood Marshall, the works of whom inspired him as a child.
“I never wanted to become a lawyer. I wanted to become a Supreme Court Justice,” he said.
While he accepts the possibility of missing the mark, he’s still “planning for the stars.”
