article by:stacia_dossSpike Lee, the well-known director/producer, spoke to students and guests at The University of Memphis Wednesday night. His overall message to the audience centered around the importance of education and achieving dreams.
While re-canting on his years at Moorehouse College in Atlanta, GA, he said he was unsure of what he would major in when he first started college.
"I didn't declare my major until the summer after my sophomore year when I was all out of electives,"he joked.
Lee said that after a summer of creating short films about various scenes in his hometown of New York City, he returned to school in the fall and knew film was his passion. He then declared it his major.
He stressed to students how important it is to follow a career that will make them happy, not just for material gains, regardless of what others say.
"When I did my first film in college, I showed it to my classmates and they liked it," he said." It was an amazing feeling doing it on a whim when no one but my immediate family thought I could do it."
Lee also discussed how he learned, firsthand, that persistence can lead to success.
He said he did not achieve his success immediately, but it came with patience and learning to perfect his craft with time.
He said he did not achieve his success immediately, but it came with patience and learning to perfect his craft with time.
"Keep trying.Who knows? The 101st 'no' could be a 'yes'."
