It all started with a couch and a vision. Young Monty Kelvin always aspired to be great, but how exactly he stumbled upon his ideal career goal started on a couch, in the dark, in the 7th grade. Kelvin, who is currently a junior majoring in broadcasting and mass communication at SUNY Oswego, dreams of becoming an international broadcast television mogul. He wants to do big things in this world and he credits that all to his discovery of Michael Jackson in the 7th grade.
When Kelvin discovered Michael Jackson, he noticed how great of an entertainer Michael was and this is what he knew he wanted for himself. He wanted to entertain others in the very way Michael did.
“He made history,” Kelvin said. “And I knew I wanted to make a difference in the world on a grand scale.”
Michael Jackson is Kelvin’s biggest inspiration. To Kelvin, Jackson represents prominent figures that helped spread important messages to the world and helped make a difference in the world. Jackson represents Dr. Martin Luther King J.R., Oprah, James Brown, Bob Marley and other similar leaders in the black community. Jackson inspires Kelvin to be great and one of his main goals are to help others in a way that Jackson helped him.
“There is no choice in my career without it helping others,” Kelvin said. He wants to make an impact in the world by helping others know that they matter and that they, too, can be great. He loves the idea of being able to add something to the world, whether it be laughter, knowledge or any other form of entertainment.
When I first met Kelvin, I noticed how helpful he was with others and how interested he was in helping others reach their dreams and aspirations. I was trying to conduct my first interview with absolute strangers for a story I had to write for a class last semester and Kelvin’s dedication to helping me approach people and speak to them stood out to me. It amazed me how much he cared about helping me, a person who just a few moments ago, he knew nothing about.
“I want everyone to win,” Kelvin said. “I genuinely want everyone to win because everyone helps me win.” He loves the idea of helping people make history and do positive things in their lives. Kelvin has a message to send and sending that message to as many people as possible is enough for him to say he’s made an impact in the world.
Kelvin is very involved on campus. He works for Laker Media on campus, has a radio show on WNYO called “Live with Monty and Friends” and a T.V. show on WTOP called “Oz Room.” He also is involved with the Voices of Diversity group, an organization that brings people of color employed in the broadcasting and journalism field to campus to interact with students who hope to, one day, be in their shoes. Kelvin is very much invested in the production of both his shows, but his radio shows is his true pride and joy.
“Its for millennials, by millennials,” Kelvin said, when describing his show. He uses his show to speak about thought provoking ideas and issues that can help our generation move forward and challenge ourselves to grow intellectually.
According to Kelvin, although balancing classes and all of his on-campus productions can be hard, he stays motivated to keep everything together because he is so passionate about being great. He enthusiastically noted how blessed he is to be in a situation where he can make something great of himself so he never sees a reason to stop progressing.
“Knowing that I have a purpose on this earth and that I have a destiny to fulfill keeps me going,” Kelvin said. He wants to not only make himself proud, he wants to make his family proud. He wants to help himself now, so in the future he can help his family.
“I’ll feel so bad if I left this earth knowing that I didn’t contribute anything to it.”
That is simply what keeps him going. Kelvin ended the interview on a very inspiring note. He wanted to let everyone know that their main goal in life should be to make history and better the world. He wants everyone to do something new everyday, something that will bring them closer to your dreams and your goals.
“Live, be free, create, be different,” Kelvin said. “Who’s going to be that leader? Who’s going to be in the history books that our grandchildren read? Let that be you.”