Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: Opinions

This week on Nov. 9, John Legend visited the NSU campus for Life 101. Initially, I thought that Legend was not the right choice for the Life 101 series. I said to myself, "What can I learn from Legend's experiences that I could not learn from a VH1 special?"

I was wrong. Legend's interview was inspirational, and not only did it speak to students pursuing music careers, but also to any student pursuing a dream. Legend stated, "…no story is complete without hard work." Those words had an impact on me. There is no one magic audition, interview, and so forth. Rejection and setbacks are a part of life, and Legend put that into perspective.

Mark Cavanaugh, Ph. D., associate professor of social and behavioral sciences, also did an excellent job during the interview and surprised most of the crowd with his knowledge of hip-hop and urban music artists such as Talib Kweli, Jay-Z and more.

A highlight of Cavanaugh's interview was when he referred to MSTRKRFT: "..M.S.T.R. …I have no idea. This word has no vowels in it. I'm white." Legend responded, "Actually that is a white group that plays house music in Canada." The moment was well-received by the audience and Legend with laughter. Personally, I appreciated Cavanaugh's effort to take a general interest in this music icon with well-researched questions.

If you have a question, comment, or opinion e-mail The Current at nsunews@nova.edu. We want to voice your opinion.

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