Kent_Campus_Library

If you have not heard the name then maybe you spent the last week living on another planet ? The amazing thing is that the name only hit the headlines 7 days ago ! In less than a week one video of Susan Boyle had over 20 million hits.
Just in case anyone missed this remarkable voice the link is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY&feature=related

So this week the review is not of a book but of a singer, and the link to one of the most remarkable pieces of television footage for a long time.
To me there are a number of messages. The obvious one is that you should never give up hope and I believe Susan Boyle will get the recognition that she deserves. A second message is that we often make judgments for all the wrong reasons and if we took the time to give people a chance then we might be surprised to discover the skills and talent they have. The third message for me was that giving Susan Boyle her chance is something we take on board as a community college.

A community college is about giving people a chance. It is about giving young people a second chance after maybe failure at a high school, it is about giving a chance to those wanting to return to work after raising a family, it is about giving a chance regardless of age, gender or race. Susan Boyle was discovered because someone gave her a chance. I wonder how many people have graduated from FCCJ because they were given a second chance ? I think the answer probably runs into thousands and those who gave that second chance have reason to be proud of their efforts.

There was also another side to this story. Could this have happened even ten years ago ? Certainly not twenty years ago ! This was news travelling so fast that within a week one name had travelled around the world, and for all the right reasons ! The first T-shirts were on ebay within a few days (being sold from Australia !). The website was in full swing, tweets were being heard across the twitter network, US television stations were competing for the interviews, rumor already has it that Oprah has lined up Susan for a guest appearance. It is a remarkable example of how communication has changed our lives.
I do hope Susan Boyle goes on to make an album and I hope it will appear in the library on Kent Campus.

Lets remind ourselves that FCCJ is not without talent with a link to another piece of film on You Tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU_ZYcbS4PE

It just happens to be the first CD I bought when I moved to Jacksonville !
Wouldn’t it be nice to be reviewing the work of one our students in the future ? If you are a budding writer, poet, singer or film maker then why not use a platform to promote yourself ?