Kwame Turner

One student's quest for redemption

By: Alexia Lang

Posted: 6/1/09

For one UMKC graduate, tribulation fueled a determination to succeed.

Kwame Turner, who just graduated with a degree in Film and Political Science with plans to attend Law School at St. Louis University, has had a challenging past couple years by most people's standards.

But he now says he became a stronger person because of it.

"The only thing I can think that came out of all of this bad stuff that has happened to me is that it allowed me to go home and become a man," Turner said. "I used to think I was invincible."

Turner's string of bad luck began in August 2006 when he was not allowed to enroll in classes because of an outstanding debt he owed to the university.

As a result of not being enrolled, he was forced to resign from his position as comptroller for the Student Government Association (SGA).

Despite his situation, he continued going to classes while he spoke with administration about enrolling, and he showed up for SGA meetings.

The straw that broke the camel's back came in October 2006 when Turner was accused by a fellow student of sexual misconduct.

After three years at UMKC serving as an RA, orientation leader, cheerleader and comptroller, he moved back to St. Louis with his family and began taking visiting courses at UMSL.

But each semester, he returned to UMKC to inquire about enrollment.

After nearly a year of waiting and three court appearances, Turner was eventually cleared of all charges. The reason the proceedings were extended so long was that UMKC had to go through an approval process to release the security tapes from the room where the alleged act occurred.

"I could say I thank my public defender," he said. "But I thank God there was a surveillance tape, because without that I would not have had a chance."

Turner said being cleared by the court was just the beginning of the recovery process. His name had been blemished in more ways than one.

"When I tried to get a job, employers would Google my name and newspaper articles about the issue would come up," he said. "I am a nervous wreck when I apply for a job or an internship."

But he was determined to succeed. So he decided to try, once again, to return to school.

Last June, Turner returned to UMKC and started summer school. He was allowed to enroll full-time.

"The one thing UMKC still had was my degree," Turner said. "They would not release it until I paid my debt. It took a lot out of me seeing all these people from my past."

Laurence Leach, who has known Turner since Turner originally came to UMKC, said he is impressed with how he has handled himself.

"Go from being big man on campus to the opposite and then back," Leach said. "I mean it's not exactly how things were before. But now he is much more mature. He is back on campus and he has moved on from the issue. It has prepared him for things that will come in the future. That's the way life is, right?"

Leach said Turner has handled the entire situation well.

"He serves as a good example of how to handle yourself when things aren't going well for you," he said. "Handle yourself professionally, follow the rules. It's a lot easier to make a situation worse than it is to make it better. And he clearly made it better."

Turner, who recently completed an internship with Councilwoman Melba Curls, said things have been looking up for him.

"Great things have been happening to me. I worked so hard to get to where I am now."

He said he is a little bitter about the situation, but not angry.

He was finally able to release some steam in a performance class taught by Scott Stackhouse. In an assigned rant, he spoke out about the injustice he had endured and let his fellow students and professor know the feelings he worked so hard to hide throughout the ordeal.

"Can anybody make a complaint about anybody and can they just get away with it?" he asked. "I mean, can that girl do the same thing to somebody else and just get away with it? This happens not just at UMKC. It happens around the country. These are just questions I have that I thought I might not ever get an answer."

As a pre-Law student, Turner said he has thought a lot about the laws in place and the people who can't defend themselves.

"There are two sides of every story," he said. "But the number one thing about people is that people will believe whatever they want to believe."

With increased faith in God, Turner said he is looking ahead to a brighter future.

"Everything I have gone through has only made me stronger. I'm a better man."

alang@unews.com