Mr. Clyde is a proud product of Harlem. He grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. The Harlem Community played a major role in his development and even his love for Jazz. Ms. Davis, his 5th-grade teacher who happened to be black, played a major role in his upbringing and his love for school and education. He was even able to skip grades as a result of that strong influence and his passion for learning. He was skipped from 7th to 9thgrade and was able to graduate high school at the tender age of 16. Mr. Clyde went on to obtain a Bachelors of Science in Physical Education at Manhattan College and a Masters in  Counseling at Long Island University. He has served many roles in the college community such as associate provost, academic advisor, adjunct professor, academic counselor, and more. He then served as Director of the HEOP program at LIU post for over 35 years helping many students of color obtain opportunities that might have been difficult had they not been a part of the HEOP program. Mr. Clyde’s fondest memories from all his years of work is watching his students develop from freshman year to senior year, then seeing them with their caps and gowns on graduation day. He is now the Educational Opportunity Program Director at Nassau Community College and is still making things happen for young students. Mr. Clyde is passionate about what he does and states that his work is never over even after retirement he will be helping those that need help.