I’ll be honest. When I first walked into room 327, I wasn’t only annoyed that I had a class with freshmen but, I had no interest in personal financial literacy anyway. I only took the class because it was mandatory for me to graduate. So my level of interest was at a low, and having the class at the end of the only made things worse.

Like usual at the beginning of class we were told that we had to “share information about who we are”, which almost never serves much purpose but the teacher would introduce himself first. What did I expect? I expected the usual. That he went to college for something close to the subject he’s teaching and later on like he figured “oh yeah teaching would be great.” You know, the usual.  However, my over dramatic premeditated attack on my teacher’s past was absolutely invalid.

If you are ever lucky enough to be enrolled in class 327, you’ll come in contact with Mr. Adrian Carroll. He is not a regular teacher with an average past. His past, present, and motivation for teaching is captivating. Mr. Carroll attended St. Augustine University in Raleigh, N.C. for his BS Degree in Criminal Justice. He soon moved to Atlanta to pursue his career, which was soon to turn to another direction.  His degree stems from following in his father’s footsteps given that he was in the FBI. In Atlanta, he was known for throwing parties, which soon turned him to promoting parties, which soon granted him with the opportunity to meet P. Diddy’s personal management. After this encounter, he soon met P. Diddy himself, and also threw him a birthday party. And it does not at all stop there. He went on to promote for names like Bad Boy Entertainment, did marketing for The Notorious B.I.G, and Total. So it’s easy to say his criminal justice career was left on the back burner because his new career in entertainment was at an all-time high. Flying all around the country and living out of hotels was his lifestyle. He continued furthering his career by working for B.E.T for five years, producing his own celebrity events, providing event planning for awards shows as well as hosting NBA and NFL events. Mr. Carroll is the creator of Historical Black College dance competitions, and produced his own show with the Dancing Dolls called “Bring It” on Lifetime that he says is, “his favorite project he has done so far.” Why would Mr. Carroll ever leave that life to become a teacher? He actually has not stopped working in the entertainment industry. He is an event competition producer for the Dancing Dolls, which is the main stars on the hit T.V. show “Bring It.”  As Mr. Carroll puts it best after working in entertainment for 18 years he “got worn out.” It might sound fun working for all these businesses and meeting celebrities like Jay- Z but, soon Mr. Carroll wanted a family. Cutting work hours and being at home was the answer to settling down and raising his family with his wonderful wife who also played a part in his decision to teach. A principal at Westlake High School who knew Mr. Carroll’s wife’s cousin was stressing the need for someone to teach business at their school. Knowing that her husband simply has a “gift for kids,” once hearing about the position needed at the school from her cousin, his wife suggested he tackle this new path in life as well. Part of his impression comes from his mentor Steve Harvey, the famous comedian, television host, producer, radio personality, actor, and author. Mr. Carroll also plans to soon acquire a certificate, from Steve Harvey’s institute of business, that allows him to work for Mr. Harvey’s company. This greatly influenced his purpose for teaching. There are teachers who really love teaching to further student’s life goals but, the thing is, just after one-day sitting in his classroom I could feel it. He showed that he’s here for us all, not just for a paycheck, obviously, but to influence. Mr. Carroll would go on to teach for three years at Westlake and start his first year teaching at North Point, which he describes as “good well-respected school with respectful students who are glad to be taking his class.” I couldn’t agree with more.