On Wednesday, January 24, several members of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence were selected to attend a day trip to the state capital building in Tallahassee to meet with Florida government delegates and to tour the campus at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. This is the first time since 2020 that the trip has taken place, making it the first for the Darnell-Cookman chapter, as well as many other schools who took part in the trip.

Officers from the DC chapter — President Larry Winters III, Vice President Jemari Dickerson, and Treasurer Jason Fearon — along with outstanding member Diego Montanez started with a short briefing and a light breakfast before departing for Tallahassee.

were selected and attended a day trip to the state capital building in Tallahassee to meet with Florida government delegates and to tour the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). This is the first time since 2020 that the trip will take place, making it the first for the Darnell Cookman chapter, as well as many other schools whose officers were in attendance.

The day included arriving at the Duval County School Board building for a short briefing and then a light breakfast was served before departure to Tallahassee. After arriving at the capitol building, 5000 Role Model members met delegates, including Representatives Maxwell Frost and Angie Nixon, Senator Shevrin Jones, and most important of the day, Congresswoman Fredrica S. Wilson, who founded the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project.

“First of all, this was an amazing trip,” said Jason Fearon, treasurer of the 5000 Role Models. “We got to meet Senator Shevrin Jones, who had a message similar to what many were saying to us throughout the capitol. His message was to “Be brave and be bold,” meaning that we belonged in that building and anywhere that we find ourselves in the future. The meetings with the delegates were inspiring and the constant message was to persevere and even go the extra mile in all our endeavors. I think now that I’m more motivated as a person following this trip.”

After leaving the capitol building, members went to FAMU, first for lunch, and then to tour the campus, which some Role Models have done before. The Role Models learned the history of FAMU and the many interesting programs and opportunities the esteemed university offers including business programs, medical programs, and art programs, which are all among the best in the United States. FAMU is the Role Model Vice President Jemari Dickerson’s dream school, so the tour was especially inspiring for him.

“I think that these college tours that 5000 is offering are beneficial because they broaden our perspectives to real college life,” he said. “We get to see schools from a different point of view and more in-depth than what we could without the 5000 Role Models program. The experience at FAMU was amazing, even though I’ve been twice, and the campus (and the food) was amazing. Since I have been accepted to FAMU and paid my dues, the trip didn’t really solidify my choice, but it did justify it greatly.”

This trip is one of the many closing trips and opportunities 5000 Role Models will be participating in until the end of the year. Another event will be the annual award ceremony, where some select Role Models will receive the Wilson Scholarship (which would provide full tuition to a select HBCU) and smaller, thousand-dollar scholarships.

“5000 has given me the chance to meet many men around Duval County and I’ve been fortunate to make many new friends in 5000,” said Diego Montanez. “I’ve been able to meet many figures in the community that point me in the direction of being successful.”