LWC President's Annual Report 2019

Left: The pair of Air Jordans Ellison wore as he crossed the commencement stage, fulfilling a promise he made
to himself as a child. Right: Ellison with his sisters, Melvina and Tina Odum.
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Parsons said Ellison’s inside knowledge of the daily hardships
encountered by inner-city children gave him the drive to learn
more.
“Leon has been consistent in his focus within the program,”
said Parsons. “He has overcome many challenges in his life. I
think those life experiences provided him with the level of
tenacity necessary to complete a doctoral degree. He is also
extremely passionate about parenting issues and mentoring of
African American youth. I think his commitment in this area
has sustained him with a clear vision for how he wants to
apply his agree after graduation.”
Ellison has already published two books. The first was a
book of poetry, Through It All My Silent Cries Ended, a detailed
account of his childhood experiences narrated from his
perspective. He co-authored the second, Why Are We So
Angry?, It takes a look at inner-city kids and the anger and aggression
that is pervasive throughout this group of adolescents.
His third book goes hand-in-hand with his doctoral work.
“I’m currently writing a children’s book about a middle
school kid who’s behavior changed because of bullying and his
social environment,” he said. “The book is intended to help
parents understand their middle school aged kids and why they
respond certain ways.”
Ellison hopes to use his doctorate degree to change the conversation
in his community. He wants to help others to realize
that success is a choice and for some, it takes a greater amount
of perseverance to beat the odds.
“Someone once asked me, if I could go back in my life,
would I change my story all together? And the answer is no, I
wouldn’t. Because then I would not have the experiences or
the opportunity to tell the story that I’m telling today to help
other people overcome and rise above,” he said.
Ellison has made many appearances as a motivational
speaker in hopes of inspiring others with his story of resiliency
and determination. He plans to apply for faculty positions at
colleges and universities in the Cincinnati area. But first, he is
looking forward to one more major event in his life.
“In 2020, I’ll be blessed to watch two of my three sons
graduate from college,” he said. “I don’t think it gets much
better than that, I’m really proud of them.”
Celebrate!
2018-19 Notable & Noteworthy
4
Longtime LWC supporter and businesswoman Bunny
Parnell received an honorary doctorate degree from
Lindsey Wilson College on Saturday, May 11, 2019, at the
college’s 109th commencement ceremony. From left,
LWC President William T. Luckey Jr., Bunny Parnell and
Lindsey Wilson Board of Trustees Chair Allan Parnell.