Frederick Douglass Patterson As A Role Model

As a young child, my parents would tell me that reaching excellence has nothing to do with how someone looks, but with how they conduct and push themselves to greatness. Therefore, someone who has been an inspiration in my life was Frederick Douglass Patterson. This is a man who overcame many obstacles to attain the distinction of being the president of Tuskegee University, president of the Phelps Stokes Fund, the founder of the College Endowment Funding Plan, winner of the Presidential Medal of Honor, and many more. Dr. Patterson came from a shaky upbringing, being raised by countless family members due to the death of his parents at the age of two. Despite his rocky childhood and the racial slurs that followed him, he became passionate for …show more content…
Dr. Patterson has been a role model for me because he did what others didn’t think was possible: to acquire an education. As a hopeful veterinarian, and someone who would love to transfer and attend Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, I am optimistic on my chances in reaching my goals and having my own clinical practice, whether it is for small animals or equine. Dr. Patterson had set goals, just like I have, and he did not allow anyone to hold him back from achieving them. He contributed to breaking the barriers that African Americans had in entering the veterinary program, he founded the commercial dietetics program, led the engineering program, and most importantly, began training African American youth to fly military airplanes. He also founded the United Negro College Fund, which was the first fundraising to aid in American Higher Education. Dr. Patterson molded himself to be a prime example of excellence, commitment, and self-respect. He once said, “I learned a lesson with regard to race that I never forgot: how people feel about you reflects the way you permit yourself to be