Arba Cooper

Leap into Education

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

I was an Honor Roll student at Lockport High School, not because my parents pushed me, but because I simply love education. Getting good grades was natural for me. I did not know at that time that God had a plan for my life. It’s not like I was a nerd and studied all the time. I was also involved in many extracurricular activities like student council, cheerleading, dance, drama, and varsity track.

The good and bad at my school was that I was called a “token black” for being the only black student in Advanced Placement classes. My good grades and extracurricular activities helped me to obtain a few scholarship offers. I gladly accepted a full 4-yr academic scholarship to Howard University in Washington, DC. I was anxious to get out of Lockport to prove there were other smart black people in this world. I first attended Howard as a Physics major but quickly changed to Electrical Engineering. My experience at Howard was awesome! It was inspiring to meet so many intelligent people from all over the world like Trinidad, Jamaica, Africa and the US.

Leap into Motherhood

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Romans 12:3

As I said earlier I am not perfect. In high school I started making some choices that were not pleasing to God. I started having sex at an early age when I wasn’t mature enough for that type of activity. One of my reasons to leave Lockport and attend Howard was based on my desire to be around more young black men. Even though God knows what is best for us, He wants us to choose what is right. No matter how smart I was, I didn’t have wisdom. Wisdom only comes from God. Just because there’s a lot of sexual activity in college, doesn’t make it right. I wanted to change my ways but I needed help. In 1986 I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in college.

I started thinking about my future and my desire to one day be happily married with children like my parents. Unfortunately, I continued to make wrong choices and I was out of God’s order. I got pregnant in my senior year of college. Yes I was ashamed but I did not want to be another statistic by dropping out of school. I continued attending classes and completed my final exams in my ninth month of pregnancy. I named my son Justin Timothy because he was born “just in time” for me to still graduate in 1987.

Since I was pregnant my senior year, I didn’t interview for jobs. I came back home to Lockport with my newborn baby to live with my parents. After a year I went back to Howard to take advantage of the on-campus recruiting. Instead of telling a lie I told the truth about my pregnancy.