By: Brandy Abraham, Vanguard Campus Editor

Self-described hip hop preacher Eric Thomas gives his 120 percent and motivates students’ to be involved in their own lives.

“You might have a 4.0 GPA here,” Thomas said during an event held last Monday, “but you will be competing against other people out there.”

Thomas wanted students to see the big picture about college success.

As a graduate student at Michigan State, he told students that as a high school dropout, chance and determination pushed him toward a future.

“I went to night school and I realized it’s important to believe that it’s something you can accomplish,” he said.

Thomas said that self-motivation is a “secret to success” because if people are willing to go get a dream then they are going to get somewhere.

“One important thing is to have a goal,” said Kari Lewis, applied studies major. “And if you don’t have one you won’t get anywhere.”

Thomas said that students stop themselves for succeeding every time they go out to party instead of studying.

“If you don’t take this seriously, you are one step farther from your goal,” he said.

Thomas said that college is not high school. He remembered that when the high school football team lost a game, everyone’s head went down.

“If you get a C, you better have your head down,” he said. “You fumbled, and that’s it.”

In college, Thomas realized he was writing long research papers for class but nothing for himself.

He wrote “The Secret to Success” in the hopes to continue motivating students from college presentations.

“I’ve been writing for them for years, and so I thought I should write for myself,” he said

Thomas wanted students to realize that comparing GPAs and test scores doesn’t matter, but that competition in the world does.

“Even if you see it, you have to realize it’s still going to be hard and that one test score isn’t everything you can do,” he said.

“I felt like I was going down the right track, and this is just confirmation,” Smith said. “It shows that education is everything.”

His college teachers made him learn things that did not seem important. He said that students should realize those are skills they can use in the future.

“I am going to go see tutors and get extra help when I need it,” Lewis said.

Thomas explained that as a high school dropout that his future means everything. He said that it was his past that pushed him to achieve more than his parents had.

“You look back at the past and then look at the future,” he said.

After the presentation, students could be heard saying, things like “I’m not giving 120 percent; I’m giving 200.”

The event was sponsored by program board, academic advising and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.