Ferentz Lafargue

For the first time in about fourteen years, Ferentz Lafargue walked the halls of Jamaica High School, no longer as a student but as a literary professor and accomplished author. As a member of Jamaica's alumni, he was given the opportunity to come back and share his experiences with current students.

At the age of five, Ferentz Lafargue and his family moved from Haiti to Jamaica, Queens. He graduated from Jamaica in 1994. He then continued his education at Queens College, where he received his BA in 1998. He then attended Yale University, where he received his PH.D in African American Studies. He is now a literary professor, teaching 19th and 20th century African American and American Literature at Eugene Lang, a liberal arts college in New York.

While he was attending Jamaica, he was in the school band, on the baseball team, and wrote for the school paper, The Hilltopper. He also wrote for the publication New Youth Connection. While here, he felt as if he rushed his experience because he was in a hurry to graduate. Many of his teachers saw his potential and unbeknownst to him, was groomed to help him achieve his future profession.

After graduating from Queens College in 1998, he went to South Africa for a music concert, where he saw many of his musical influences. He was surprised to see all types of people coming together on a common ground: music.

He wrote Songs in the Key of my Life after he graduated from Yale and moved back to New York. He was inspired by the "series of accidents" going on in his life and the songs that got him through them. One of the hardest chapters for him to write and fought to keep in his book was for the song "Me so Horny" by 2 Live Crew. While he was in 7th grade, one of his friends committed suicide after graduating from middle school. That was one of the songs he and his friends would listen to everyday and the hook came from the movie Full Metal Jacket. He was surprised at the affects a song and a movie had on him and his friends.

Ferentz Lafargues' personal experiences translated into songs connect with many different people no matter the situations your going through.

"He related his presentation to us as teens because he spoke to us about things he went through and what were going through now" said Markeya Davis, a junior at Jamaica.

Ferentz Lafargues' visit back to Jamaica gave students a picture of what a graduate from Jamaica can accomplish after leaving if you are motivated to succeed.