Kirk Nugent came to Winona State University to give an inspirational talk, “The Science of Being Great,” to the Winona community last Tuesday. The talk included spoken word and a chance for students to present their own work. Nugent alternated between his talk and spoken word poetry. Spoken word usually focuses on true events and life experiences.

Nugent talked about his life through his spoken word poetry. He was born in Jamaica and came to America when he was 15. He said that he did not even know there were blacks until he came to America. Nugent was the “best and brightest in school,” but at home, he was not good enough. He was made fun of by other blacks because “blacks needed someone to feel superior to.” He gave his own name to his son so he could hear “Kirk, I love you.”

“The spoken word was really cool,” said Lauren Barker, a student, “It inspired me to write more poetry.”

Nugent talked about how he used to have relationship problems because he was “unable to love.” He learned that this problem started because he didn’t feel loveable.

“You have to find a way to love you,” he told the audience. “Heal you first.”

Nugent talked about perception and how “it’s all about perception.” If you think of yourself in negative terms, you will become what you say. In order to achieve what you want, you have to be able to love yourself and think positively. Nugent said, “The two most powerful words are: I am.”

Nugent also talked about how you connect with others. “You have that power of being kind. It will send rippling effects through the world,” explained Nugent, “You never know who you’re connecting with.”

Nugent spoke about a previous talk he gave. Only about five people attended because of weather issues. Since he believes that everyone should get the show, no matter how many people show up, he gave his show to the small crowd. After it was over, he received a letter saying that he had prevented someone from committing suicide.

He reached out to students by telling them it doesn’t matter what race you are. “We’re 99.9 percent alike,” he said, “but we only see the .1 percent.” Everyone is dealing with something. Some are involved in similar situations. He suggested breaking through the stereotypes that society has created. One way would simply be to tell someone you like their hair as they’re walking down the street.

“Don’t think you don’t have the power to change,” Nugent said. “We’re so unaware of our power.”

Brianna Schroeder, a student, said she enjoyed the event. “I like how passionate he was,” she said.

“I really liked it. It was a very inspirational message,” Barker said. “No matter the circumstances in life, if you motivate yourself, you can work through it.”

Judi Becker, a professor at Winona State and St. Mary’s University, said, “It was excellent. The crux of the message is what I try to convey in my classes. I brought students from St. Mary’s. This is right up our alley. We have conversations like this all the time in the classroom.”