It was while working on a horse farm that RayQuon Edwards, who will graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, thought about his future.
He grew up in Siler City, North Carolina, (population 7,700) where his family raised horses and sold used cars. Growing up, he played basketball, rode horses and was a member of Future Farmers of America.
“I realized this was not what I wanted to do with my life,” Edwards said. “Long days on the farm, feeding 20 plus horses, putting up fences.”
Originally, Edwards wanted to be a diesel mechanic. However, his father, who had attended community college, pushed Edwards to go to university.
Edwards applied and was accepted at four universities, ultimately choosing North Carolina Central University (NCCU). NCCU alumni influenced his choice.
“They always talked about the family-like community,” Edwards said. “I found my own family in the nest. I saw individuals like me doing well.”
He started at NCCU in fall 2020. “It was different,” he recalled. “A big change from a truck stop town.”
It was also a challenging time. The COVID-19 pandemic had started earlier that year. All of Edwards classes were online and during the spring semester of his freshman year, at his parent’s behest, he moved back to Siler City.
“I felt (remote) was a waste of time,” Edwards said. “I wasn’t understanding. I lost my motivation. I dropped to a 1.8 GPA.”
Too, Edwards thought education was an activity to be pursued alone.
“I didn’t ask for help much,” he said. “I was wrong. Every man needs a support system.”
He returned to campus for his sophomore year. “I was going to make this work,” he said. “I wasn’t going to fall back into my old ways.”
He developed friendships and connections – some through friends on the football team, others through a podcast he and several classmates started.
He joined the Men’s Achievement Center, the campus branch of the NAACP, National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice and the Alpha Kappa Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.
During the school year, he worked in fast food restaurants on weekdays and on the family horse farm on weekends. During summers, he participated in internships at Duke University School of Law, the office of the Federal Public Defender in Raleigh or he worked at moving companies and an ice cream store.
And he took his studies seriously, asking for assistance when needed. Today, his GPA is 3.3 and he has been on the dean’s list three times.
After graduation, he aims to find employment with a federal agency, ideally working in criminal investigations or criminal analysis.
