Share this story
For Oscar Kemp, the journey from Southside Virginia to East Africa was marked both by childhood and Virginia Commonwealth University.
Kemp graduates in May with a bachelor’s degree in social work with a minor in public policy, and he plans to attend law school and work in public policy. But first, he will head to Uganda, where — as a Fulbright Scholar — he will teach English.
The path to “global citizenship,” as Kemp calls it, started in Danville, where he grew up and where social workers were a part of his youth. His mother raised him and his sister amid financial challenges, and the family often turned to a social worker to help them navigate.
“At one point, we were evicted from our apartment,” Kemp said. “A social worker was the first person we went to for help. I saw how that social worker really helped my mother and [I] really saw a smile across my mom’s face again. That led me to social work.”
Kemp was a good student in high school and toured schools across Virginia and as far as Michigan. But after his first visit to Richmond and VCU, he knew he wanted to be a Ram.
“I remember walking through the Welcome Center in Richmond and seeing Broad Street for the first time and thinking, ‘This is how I want to live my college life,’” Kemp said. “I didn’t want to be secluded away from other people. I wanted to be close to other communities. I...
Former commerce minister Andrew Bayly says he was forced to resign as a minister on the basis of “false” claims from officials. Bayly decided not to stand for re-election, after serving 12 years as...