by Cory Woodroof | Dec 6, 2013 | News Slider
A man who changed the world over his 95 years — a man President Bill Clinton said, in an interview on NBC, was in a class shared only by Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. – Nelson Mandela has died. To many, he’s known as a ground-breaking politician and social reformer who helped heal South Africa from the wounds of apartheid, a system of racial prejudice and social injustice literally meaning “the state of being apart” that sometimes violently discriminated against black residents and kept the minority white Afrikaners in power from 1948-1994. Tributes and memories have been pouring in from all over the world on television, on the internet and in newspapers. The importance of this man and significance of his loss reaches all the way to Lipscomb University, not only because the changes he led affected the entire world, but because there are students from South Africa who today are themselves remembering and asking what’s next? South African Miguel Hof, a sophomore and Bisons soccer player, says Mandela’s passing signifies the end of an era. “Obviously, it’s a tremendous blow for our country,” Hof said. “Because, if it wasn’t for Mandela, we would’ve most probably had a civil war in 1994 after the apartheid.” When Mandela – who served 27 years in prison for his youthful battles against apartheid – was released in 1990, he worked for peaceful resolution of the institution and worked with the white government to end apartheid and establish democratic elections in 1994, when he was elected president of his homeland. Instead of coming out of prison embittered and preaching revolution, Mandela focused...
by Kage Sanderson | Sep 17, 2013 | Uncategorized
Sophomore Mignonne Bryant is a student of many talents who has a unique perspective of Lipscomb and Nashville. Bryant is originally from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Having lived in Brentwood for three years, Bryant enjoys Nashville’s status as “Music City.” “I am a singer, songwriter and musician. Music is in my genes,” Bryant said. “My dad’s songs played on South African radio for a while.” Bryant began writing music when she was very small and has not stopped. “I love sharing my gift with others,” Bryant said. Bryant said she also enjoys the city’s hospitality and abundance of opportunities. “I love the people. Everyone is so friendly. Also, there are a lot of opportunities in this city,” Bryant said. “Nashville is the place to be.” Bryant attends Lipscomb along with her sister Kate. “It’s fantastic going to school with her,” Bryant said. “We are really good friends despite the fact that we are as different as chalk and cheese.” Bryant is a New Media and Journalism student while her sister is pursuing a different career. “Even though we are pursuing different careers, it is great to be doing so together at Lipscomb,” Bryant said. Bryant is considering working for a newspaper, magazine or going into broadcasting after college, even though nothing is set in stone. “To be honest, though, I am still finding my way,” Bryant said. While attending Lipscomb, Byrant says she has enjoyed the resident Starbucks and campus’ familial atmosphere. “Oh man, Starbucks is my favorite,” Bryant said. “I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t order my tall Earl Grey tea! In fact, I order it...
by Jael Teme | Mar 15, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
Freshman Miguel Hof started playing as the goalkeeper for Lipscomb’s soccer team in the fall of 2012 largely because a video caught the attention of coach Charles Morrow. The video, revealing Hof’s soccer skills, traveled from Cape Town, South Africa, to the United States. “What we saw in the video: number one, he controlled his box really well,” said Morrow, speaking of the area around the goal. Hof soon followed after a phone call from Morrow. “[Morrow] gave me a call and he asked me if I wanted to come play for Lipscomb in the States,” said Hof. That call would change the soccer player’s future. Hof was 5 when he started playing soccer. In Cape Town, kids usually spend their free time outdoors playing sports, with soccer being among the most popular choices. Hof began his soccer career as left wing, but it didn’t take long for serendipity and his coach’s intervention to change his position. He soon discovered his great passion was to defend the goal. “They needed a keeper, so the coach decided to put me in the goal, and that worked out pretty good,” Hof said. Since that moment, Hof took ownership of the goal. After being selected to be part of the team at Lipscomb, the goalkeeper moved from his hometown in South Africa to pursue a degree in business while refining his game. Being away from home might not be easy for Hof and his family, but he keeps focused on the positive side. He said it is not only good for him to be here because of the soccer experience, but also for the life experience. “I don’t think...
by Cory Woodroof | Feb 4, 2013 | News Slider
Jesse Taylor didn’t learn how to play the guitar until he was a senior in high school. If you’re familiar with the sophomore Fairview, Tenn., native, you might find this a bit surprising. Taylor, a regular performer at Rooster’s Barbeque (located in Downtown Nashville), can’t exactly claim to have bitten by the country music bug at the same time his guitar skills came to fruition, but it’s easy to see where this aspiring country singer-songwriter gets his inspiration. A car ride to the hospital to see his newly born sister marked the first time any of his family got the idea that the two-year-old Taylor had country in his veins. “My aunt told me that when she took me to the hospital to see my sister, she put me in the car and I started crying about five minutes down the road, and she couldn’t figure out why,” Taylor said. “And I kept saying ‘Hoochee, Hoochee, Hoochee’.” The cause of young Taylor’s cries? A desire to listen to Alan Jackson’s 1993 hit “Chattahoochee.” “She put that Alan Jackson tape in there,” Taylor said. “And we listened to ‘Chattahoochee’ all the way [to the hospital], and all the way back home.” Taylor cites Jackson as one of his early inspirations as a singer/songwriter, along with George Jones, Johnny Cash and Sonny James. Taylor became personally familiar with James, a former country chart-topper, around his sixth grade year of school, as the two went to church together. From that point on, a big hug after the service wasn’t foreign for James, Taylor and Taylor’s little brother. “[James] is a fantastic singer,...
