Image from Elijah Dormeus’s Instagram
Her Campus had a chance to speak with Morehouse College Senior, Elijah Dormeus on how he stays positive, uses daily affirmations, and uses his platform to help others in the community.
HC: What was your journey to attending Morehouse College and what is your major there?
ED: I am from Harlem, New York and I was at IHOP singing with my friends and a guy came up to me and asked me if I was interested in going to college. He suggested Morehouse to me and he helped me get accepted to the school. My major is Business Administration and I am currently a senior.
HC: How did you get interested in community involvement and giving back?
ED: My mother always instilled in me the quote “to never give up and to always say that you can” and reminded me on a consistent basis to never let up on myself. These words left a mark on me and pushed me towards community involvement and helping encourage others. I am currently working with a foundation to help give back. It is a High School Prep/ Readiness program that is centered around motivating kids to be more than what they are now and gives them tools to follow their dreams.
Image from Elijah Dormeus’s Instagram
HC: How did you begin to share your affirmations with your peers on campus?
ED: During my senior year at Morehouse I didn’t have housing. I was having a tough time and I was going back and forth with Financial Aid trying to get everything sorted out while still trying to find housing. But during this time period I never gave up the faith that I was going to receive housing and I started saying the affiliations my mom would always say to me as a kid. People around me in the same predicament started to gather around and we all began to collectively say these affirmations. I was saying my I am’s, ” I am strong. I am confident. We are leaders.” Someone ended up filming this moment and that’s it how my affirmations began to spread. These affirmations were for myself it wasn’t for show, but other people needed to hear them and it helped me realize that I wanted to help encourage others.
HC: What plans do you have to help spread your affirmations to other people?
ED: I have started to help develop programming for kids in a local elementary school near Morehouse College that is helping the kids learn how to encourage themselves and people around them. The programming is helping the students gain self-confidence, and is allowing them to spread the message for what encouragement can do to a person.
This is my opportunity to pay it forward. I want to help spread a positive light in these kids lives but also in the students lives on campus. At Morehouse, I am a student leader and I help during New Students Orientation Week at Morehouse and it has been statistically proven on campus that with the additive of encouragement and positive affirmations the Morehouse College the Freshman class has the highest GPA from an incoming class at my institution.
HC: What Affirmations/I AM’s do you live by?
ED: I AM STRONG. I AM CONFIDENT. I CAN DO IT. NOBODY CAN STOP ME.
HC: Lastly, what advice do you have for anyone struggling with self-encouragement or wants to encourage others?
ED: I would say, that every day is a new day to do something greater than the day before and you can make an impact in any way possible. I would start with this daily affirmation that ” small has a big impact”, and invite good characteristics into your space. “Strength comes in. Courage comes in. Purpose comes in. Hate has no room here.”
Dormeus has a mentorship program at Dungum School for Disabled Youth at 9am on Friday.
Stay connected with Elijah Dormeus here:
Instagram – @elijahnesly