The First Vice President of Alcorn’s Student Government Association, LaMar Scott, has dedicated himself to the ministry as he completes his college education. While he was born in Gary, Indiana, Scott was raised in Gluckstadt, Mississippi, by his grandmother, Myrtis Carter. He’s a 22-year-old man of God, majoring in General Studies with a concentration in English.
The environment in which Scott grew up and the majority of his experiences have shaped his desire of being a vessel used for the Lord. He attended Trinity Educational Daycare Ministry and Academy in Indiana where he learned Christian and core moral values. After 5th grade, he and his grandmother were prompted to move to Gluckstadt as she had to take care of her mother who was ill. In 6th grade, Scott discovered his passion for leadership as he embarked on a student council membership at Madison Crossing Middle School. At this stage of his life, sports was becoming huge for him. Within two years of transferring schools, he took on football, basketball and track.
As he made his transition into Rosa Scott High School, Scott described it as “a melting pot of surrounding communities with 9th graders who were struggling to find themselves.” As the community of Gluckstadt grew in population, a new high school had to be erected and once again Scott had to transfer schools, this time to Germantown High School. As if he hadn’t already gone through enough changes, he then watched his mother and stepfather go through a divorce around the same time. He also remembers witnessing his grandmother at her breaking point. “I felt like it was a good thing simply because the Bible talks about not being so ‘Holy of Holy’ and I really had a chance to see my grandmother be that human for once,” said Scott which led him to grow closer to her. He is a strong believer that every sinner has a future and every saint has a past. He recalls his grandmother, who passed in December of 2013, as a God-fearing woman who would put oil on his head, prayed without ceasing and who was devoted to God’s work.
Scott’s high school years began on a high note. He found himself “being placed on a pedestal by others and having to be broken down to be humbled.” He was the star player for the football team and was also in over his head. In just two weeks he went from being a first-string corner to being a 3rd string on the junior varsity football team. He realized that he was not giving honor to God in his works and he understood why God had broken him down. With the help of his coaches who saw the potential in him, Scott was able to conquer his biggest challenge which was tackling. He was relatively smaller than the other players so tackling on the field was quite intimidating. He also found himself struggling to tackle the problems in his life and he carried that burden with him.
After he graduated high school, Scott committed to basic training in the Army. He states, “I didn’t want to go to church anymore or even be a good person any more…the loss of my grandmother conflicted me.” He was battling a rebellion against himself. He could not come to terms with the fact that even though one might be a good person, death was inevitable. As he spent weeks in training, he decided to buy a Bible which tremendously affected his life. Scott started to get back into the word just as his grandmother had groomed him and later started a Bible Study group on the base. He was unable to pass his rifle test, so he could not further his career in the military. He appreciated the experience nonetheless as he knew that God is a God of second chances and that he never fails his people.
He accepted an offer to play football at Alcorn State University in the Spring of 2014 which was another life changing experience. From early morning football practices to class to 3:30 pm track practices, Scott was encouraged by his coaches to choose one sport to which he would dedicate his all. Shortly after that he sustained a shoulder injury and took up track full time. He also acted on his leadership skills as he held many leadership positions in various organizations. These include Student Support Services, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Eta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and being a charter member for Sigma Chi Iota which is an Academic Honor Society.
Scott describes himself as “being caught up in worldly things” in the beginning of his college experience. He recalls waking up in his car at 10:00 am on a Sunday morning in Oxford, Mississippi, questioning himself saying, “What am I doing? What is my purpose? Is God pleased?” He started to remember how he wanted to be a light for Jesus. He wanted people to look at him and know that he was of the Heavenly Father. The following semester he returned to Alcorn to do God’s will. He partnered with his good friend Terry McBeth to get the Chapel reopened on campus. They succeeded in their efforts and Scott preached his first sermon on September 25th, 2016. He started receiving great reviews and requests for him to preach again. “I prayed about it,” he states, “God has called me to be a minister, to go out and do his will through discipleship.” Church is now held at the Chapel every Sunday at 11:00 am.
Through all of his trials, Scott stated that the one thing that kept him going was 2 Timothy 2:15 which stated, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” “Without God in my spirit, I would not have been able to fight my physical battles,” he stated. God had brought him to so many places and through so many experiences to humble him and mold him into the missionary that he is today.
As he graduates Alcorn this year, he wishes to a pursue full time ministry with interests in public speaking, motivational speaking, social and justice activism and state and county politics. He believes that the scripture Psalm 119 verse 17 perfectly fits his experiences as it reads, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.”
Scott encourages, “you have the opportunity to obtain what you need but you have to live in Christ.”