PORTSMOUTH KID RECEIVES OVER 70,OOO WORTH OF SCHOLARSHIPS FROM HIS VOICE

RAIQUAN THOMAS, FROM PORTSMOUTH, HAS BEAT THE ODDS OF ADVERSITY. WHY HAVEN'T YOU HEARD OF HIM? ITS SIMPLE. PEOPLE IN OUR AREA PRAISE THE ATHLETICS. WITH THE LIKES OF TALENT RANGING FROM JUSTIN UPTON OF THE ATLANTA BRAVES TO PERCY HARVIN OF THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, THE HAMPTON ROADS AREA IS KNOWN FOR THE ATHLETICS, AND NOT SO MUCH THE ARTS. WELL RAIQUAN THOMAS DESERVES PRAISE. AMONGST A CITY WHOSE GRADUATION RATE IS GIVE OR TAKE 50 PERCENT, HE HAS MANAGED TO FIND HIS OWN LANE AND BRIDGE THE GAP TO SUCCESS.

BORN JANUARY 4TH, 1996 RAIQUAN IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF YOUR MODEL STUDENT ANY FAMILY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE. I QUICKLY FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE TO THIS KID THAT I NEVER KNEW. WHATS MORE TOUCHING IS FINDING OUT HIS STORY OF HIS CHILDHOOD, THERE WAS PAIN HE EXPERIENCED THAT I CANT EVEN IMAGINE. WHEN I ASKED RAIQUAN  ABOUT HIS PARENTS HE REPLIED WITH THIS.

   "My mother was very young when she had me . As a parent , she and my dad raised me with the help of my grandmother , who provided us a place to live . At the age of two , my brother Gary Thomas was born . During this time , my dad kept getting in trouble with the law . He got arrested multiple times for drugs and other things that he did with his so called "friends" . The reason I say so called is because his "friends" were no where to be found when he got in trouble , but his best friends , Nate and Duane were always there to support him , get him help and tried to get him off the streets But it was too late . On December 8th , 2001 , a patrol officer saw a red Honda in a neighborhood known for drug trafficking . An officer noticed the car had a broken taillight and an unreadable 30-day tag and decided to stop the vehicle, a chase started. It was my dad trying to elude the police . He threw out an unknown substance (drugs) and when the cops tried to stop him he attempted to run an officer over . With no other attempt to stop him , the officer fired several shots which killed my dad instantly . My dad's last words that were repeated over and over again were "I'm not going back to jail " and he was right , he wasn't going back to jail instead he ended in a 6 ft grave . My dad was a great father to me . Although, his bad decisions ended his life . He will always be my dad and I will remember him forever and always ." -Raiquan Thomas 

WITH A  3.47 GPA RAIQUAN FOUND AN OUTLET TO ESCAPE THE HARSH REALITIES OF LIFE, HIS VOICE AND PERFORMING ARTS. HE MANAGED TO EARN OVER $70,000 WORTH OF SCHOLARSHIP MONEY FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. HE RECEIVED $4,000 FROM THE SCHERZO MUSIC CLUB AND 1,000 FROM THE VIRGINIA CHORAL SOCIETY. HE WAS ALSO OFFERED $43,000 FROM SHENANDOAH UNIVERSITY AND $27,500 FROM HART SCHOOL OF MUSIC DANCE AND THEATRE. HE HAS ALSO RECEIVED $5000 FROM JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY, WHERE HE WILL BE ATTENDING IN THE FALL. RAIQUAN IS AN AMAZING KID AND I CAN TELL THAT HE IS ON HIS WAY TO THE TOP.