WS Chronicle

Her love and encouragement propels him to success and a college degree

By Busta Brown

Say hello again to the now 20-year-old Trazon Mitchell. I did a story on Trazon in 2018, while he was attending Stokes Early College in Walnut Cove, N.C., where he earned over $1 million in scholarship money. 

During that time, his mother, Tina Mitchell, fell ill and the superstar student visited his mom daily. “I was in the hospital multiple times. Sometimes three days, sometimes seven, sometimes two weeks. And this went on for about two to three years, until I started getting better. I was afraid to tell the school for fear they would take him away,” said Tina. 

Yet, even while in her hospital bed, Tina remained resilient in making sure Trazon did his homework, and also mom work. He did everything with excellence. When Tina had gotten better, she told the school about her and Trazon’s situation. 

“Around his early 12th grade year, I told them everything and they were shocked. They said he never skipped a beat and in all his years, NEVER brought home a C, always As & Bs. I would always try to exude resilience around him. Even on the worst days, it seems like he picked that up and kept pushing. Although the hospital was very noisy, he would find a corner and do his work,” said Tina. 

As the proud mother spoke of her son, a quote from Rick Warren came to mind: “Integrity is doing what’s right when no one is watching.” Trazon is also an example of humility, as well: “Not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” He’s a very Christ-like young man. 

In the beginning, Trazon wasn’t in agreement with going to Early College, but he eventually gave in and did extremely well. At 20 years old, he’s earned two associates degrees and will graduate this May with a bachelor’s degree in computer science from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received a full ride.

How did this young Black man become so dignified and intelligent in a culture that screams unaccountably? “I stayed focused on my end game. And during these times of COVID-19, I refused to take breaks. I defined what my goal is and took small steps each day. I don’t get caught up in what the media says is success. I defined that for myself. And that’s being happy with what I’m doing and making a living with it,” said the future Tarheel alum. 

Trazon lived in the area on the Tarheel campus where the Silent Sam Confederate statue demonstrations took place and with the toppling of Silent Sam, came police and protestors. “Some of the protestors called us monkeys. It was crazy!” he said. 

Then came COVID-19, which transitioned students into remote classes. “It was a little harder than in-person instruction, but even through all of the adversity around me, I used my scholarships wisely and finished earlier than we projected.” 

His mother’s disability inspired an amazing idea. “I’m a member of our Community Club and we created a game for disabled children. Because of my mom’s condition, my goal is to find ways to make life more easily accessible for her and others with disabilities. I will have a successful business in five years, but before that, I want to work somewhere else so that I can master stability and managerial experience. I want to make sure my business and success is long term, so that I can take great care of my mother the way she deserves and took care of me. She’s an amazing woman and my greatest inspiration. My strength comes from watching how resilient she remained through everything she’s gone through. She always taught me to never give up hope, so failure is never an option for me,” said Trazon. 

Tina Mitchell taught her brilliant son to excel in all things. “When he turned 18, he got his credit score up to 750,” she said with pride. 

“I bought my dream truck and that brought my score up even higher. I’ve always paid my bills on time and I use my card to pay for gas and other little things. When I pay it off, that also helps my credit score. My mom continues to stay on me about handling my business,” said Trazon. 

“He bought his first vehicle on his own. I thought he would need my signature, but he didn’t,” said Tina. 

I asked Trey how it felt to be so independent at such a young age. “I felt strong and proud of myself. I’m not the type to blow my own horn, but I was like, I’m kinda ballin’ right now,” he said. And the three of us laughed out loud. 

“As soon as I saw the truck, I was like, I’m buying this,” said the future tech billionaire. Yes, I’m claiming it for Trazon! 

So, what are the characteristics he likes in a young lady? “My number one thing that I look for is ambition. Then someone who strives for excellence, and a little nerdy would be nice,” he said and then laughed. Trazon Mitchell is college educated, ambitious, handsome, responsible, caring, and everything else that a true gentleman is. Yet, there’s that one thing he also has that keeps his mom up at night. “He’s still a young Black male and I will not rest until my son is home.”

“It’s time for strong, real change,” said Trazon. “We must change the way policing is done, and rethink the way police are allowed to do their job in this country. They must understand they’re not above the law and we need to get rid of the immunity they have. I am a Black man, so I do get concerned, and I know that you have to act a certain way in certain situations because of my skin, if that makes sense. Meaning, how a white male would act in certain situations is different for me as a Black man. And it’s not fair that I have to think about how I look to avoid looking suspicious. Things must change in this country,” he said so eloquently. 

Who makes this future mover and shaker laugh out loud?  “Katt Williams is funny to me! My favorite celebrity is DJ and music producer Skrillex. I like his music and he also shares positive messages. He’s pretty cool.”

“I love the way he takes care of me when I’m going through my illness issues,” said Tina. “He’s not your typical young man. I love how he has blossomed and listened to what I poured into him, and he’s one of the most respectful young men you could ever meet.” 

I second that emotion. I teach my radio students that excellent character is not an option, it’s a must! Trazon Mitchell is all of that and more. Tina shared the one thing she can’t do for Trazon is “teach him how to be a man.” My reply was, teach him how to be like Jesus. That’s all the man they need. 

My phenomenal Mother and Son of the Week are Tina and Trazon Mitchell.