Today we remember Martin Luther King Junior for not simply his sacrifice but because of the success that his work was met with even after his untimely death.  Dr. King was formally trained to be a minister, having graduated high school early at the age of 15, later enrolling in college I thought it appropriate to detail what I have found about Dr. King’s educational background and how this is yet another area that Dr. King continues to be an example long after his death.

Dr. King attended Booker T. Washington High School and graduated early, at the age of 15 later to enroll in and eventually complete a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Morehouse College, his father’s alma mater.  Morehouse College, located in Atlanta, Georgia is historically an all black college founded in 1867 and continues through today being a highly regarded post secondary school.  After finishing his undergraduate degree at Morehouse Dr. King attended Crozer Theological Seminary, now known as Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, where he was elected as class president by a predominately white student population and eventually earned his Bachelor of Divinity degree.  Dr. King eventually completed his doctorate degree at Boston University and officially graduated in 1955 with a Doctor of Philosophy.

Dr. King exhibited extraordinary leadership skills early on in life and honed those skills through years of hard work and studying.  Dr. King also had vision, he could see things beyond today, beyond their initial investment and see them for their worth tomorrow.  Dr. King would have been a highly regarded man after simply earning his doctorate degree but instead he put the tenants of leadership, talent and a solid work ethic to work for the betterment of mankind and his country.  Dr. King was not appreciated during the time he was alive.  It is a sad testament that he was in fact martyred fighting for freedom in “the land of the free” but because of men like him we can say phrases like that without feeling ashamed to admit the truth of the matter.  Dr. King’s accomplishments in academia are indeed outweighed by his accomplishments in life.  And that is the lesson we should take from his example, do not leave your passion and education in the classroom only to use it whenever it serves you best, but instead put your talents and rewards to work for the betterment of others whenever possible.