A Tradition of Excellence: The History of Bellarmine College Preparatory's African-American Student Union (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781484967904)

In 2012, Julian D. Howard, a 22 year-old author from San Jose, California who has given back to varies communities locally, nationally, and internationally, conceived an idea to inspire those in his local community to follow their dreams. As an alumnus of the prestigious Bellarmine College Preparatory high school in San Jose, California and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Julian utilized the tools he obtained from his education and set out to create a scholarship fund. This fund's prime objective is to inspire the African-American students of Bellarmine College Preparatory's African-American Student Union, the same club Julian once served as President during his senior year. Through the sales of Julian's debut book, A Tradition of Excellence: The History of Bellarmine College Preparatory's African-American Student Union all net proceeds will be used to start an annual scholarship for graduating seniors within the club. A Tradition of Excellence: The History of Bellarmine College Preparatory's African-American Student Union sheds light into the African-American history of the school, but more importantly explains and honors the 25th anniversary story of the first cultural club's establishment at the second oldest Jesuit high school west of the Mississippi River and the oldest high school in the state of California, told through the eyes of the first African-American employee by way of one of his mentees. This book's unique style hides the name of the catalyst, teacher, coach, administrator, and moderator of the club, who also was the first African-American employee of the school until the end of the history, as a way to focus the narrative on the actions of the students he mentored. Along with the club's history, this book highlights the successes of some of the African-American alumni of Bellarmine College Preparatory who happen to be among some of the valley's most inspirational and influential people. Julian's aim is to preserve the oral history of the first cultural club on the campus and allowing its rich history to grow, while simultaneously inspiring past, currently, and future students to follow their dreams. Last, but not, least this project was done in honor of the first African-American employee of Bellarmine, who has forever left his lasting positive mark at Bellarmine, and the first African-American graduate of Bellarmine College Preparatory whom the scholarship will be named after. www.juliandhoward.com Twitter: @JulianDHoward