Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of meeting Sam Hurt III knows that he isn’t your ordinary character, he’s actually quite extraordinary. Although Sam was born in Jackson, Mississippi, he grew up in Greenville, Mississippi, and life in Greenville proved itself to be quite challenging. When thinking of a difficult childhood, many things might come to mind such as a lack of money, or a single parent home, however, these situations aren’t why his life was so difficult. On top of coming from a lower income, single parent home, Hurt is also an African American homosexual male.
“Growing up different from everyone else placed a target on my back inside and outside of my home,” said Hurt. He went through middle school and high school being bullied for his lifestyle. Often times on a daily basis, he would receive verbal abuse and criticism. Furthermore, he even recalls situations where he was the victim of senseless violence all because of a label given to him by society. According to Hurt, “Being bullied helped me build character. It taught me how to appreciate myself, and everything around me.”
Life can be hard to live when everyone is looking at you. If anyone has learned that, he has. Hurt is currently using his zest for life to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Alcorn State University (ASU). He wants to become a psychologist, or lawyer, in order to help others. “I want to help people because I know how I struggled and I want to ease other’s suffering. I know I have a lot of work to do. However, the race is not given to the rich nor the strong, victory belongs to those who keep moving on,” says Hurt.