Harris: “Jalen also has hands for home improvement so when he said he wanted to go to school for music production, I said, ‘Which one do you really want to do?’ He said, ‘Music production.’ I said, ‘OK, if that’s something you want to do, go do it.’ So, he started going to Full Sail University online.”
Hooker: “I’m learning two things at once — music and how to build houses. I’m going to be building a new house with my boss at the beginning of the year. We built one last year, just the two of us. We’ll be out in the cold but it’s fun. That kind of work is always going to be here. One day I want to have a couple of houses, maybe some rental houses but I really wanted to do music now.”
Harris: “Jalen invented J. Smooth Entertainment two years ago. I’m like, ‘I’m your biggest cheerleader, so why don’t I manage you?’ So, I’m his momager as they call it. I already have a master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology, so I looked into Full Sail and I decided to get my master’s in public relations to help build his brand and his reputation. What better way to help him? I can write press releases and handle social media, which is so important for what we do.”
Hooker: “When she told me she was going to Full Sail too, it was like, ‘Wow, she’s going to do it. We’re all going to do it.’ It doesn’t matter who you are or what’s going on, you can do anything you put your mind to.”
Harris: “You’re never too old to make your dreams come true. I wanted to influence others and inspire them. We do this together because it’s important for family unity. I also wanted to show the world no matter what, you can support your kids and your kids can support you. He’s an inspiration to me. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are. You can inspire someone at a younger age or an older age.”
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or donthrasher100@gmail.com.
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