Joseph Goings:

My name is Joseph Goings Jr. and I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois before moving to the south suburbs in the fall of 2003. I attended Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep where I worked as a writer for the student newspaper. I am now a freshman in college, majoring in journalism. Some of the influences in my life include my mother, Sheila Johnson, who has cared for me for 18 long years. She is truly a great woman and deserves nothing but the best. Another influence is my uncle Frank Johnson, who has continued to be a father figure in my life and has always been there to give me words of encouragement should I need them. A life's goal of mine is to work for a major newspaper, and possibly even become a news anchor. Becoming a staff member at Black Student Services was a no-brainer for me. My job is to write articles for the newsletter (GRIOT). Writing for the GRIOT is giving me a chance to be a writer and allowing me to become more experienced in the field of journalism. Some advice for other and future new students would be to make friends with everyone, from lower to upperclassmen. Everyone can help you in some way shape or form, so it's best to know many people and discover what they can do. I'm a person who likes to have fun and who will try anything once, so if I could do anything in the world I would skydive. It would be an incredible adrenaline rush to be thousands of feet in the air, spinning and flipping and twisting and turning before you open your parachute and fall gently towards the Earth. My hobbies include playing basketball, football, watching TV, playing video games, and texting (which I have become particularly good at in the last few months). I love comedy movies, like The Simpson's Movie, because I am a big kid and the Simpson's has been a favorite show of mine for years and years. Well that's an abbreviated version of me. I hope to do very well during my time as a staff member and look forward to many great days and great editions of the GRIOT.