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Michael Henry

@themichaelhenry_

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Morehouse Alumnus 🎓
Pepperdine Alumnus, MPP🎓
World Traveler: 18 countries +🌎✈️
Fayetteville | Atlanta | Los Angeles📍

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TESTIMONY TIME.
My chapter in California is officially closed and sealed.

In 2023, I moved 2,000 miles to Malibu, CA, right after graduating from Morehouse, for my masters at Pepperdine. No family, no built-in community—just me, God, and the calling I believed He gave me.

What I didn’t expect was how hard the transition would be. 2024 was one of the toughest years of my life. Mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, I was in survival mode. I had to force myself to get up most days, questioning everything—my worth, my purpose, and If I made a mistake. People see the degrees, the travels, but not the weight behind it all.

Many didn’t know what I was going through because I kept showing up, and pushing forward. But behind, I was fighting every single day. I thank God for the support of my mom, sister, and godfather—who prayed me through even when they couldn’t be here. I’m deeply grateful for the prayers and real support from so many others—you know who you are.

Transition is uncomfortable. It stretches you, breaks you, and rebuilds you. But it prepares you. This was preparation for a lifetime of movement, purpose, and transformation for what’s next.

Leaving California now, my strength is deeper, less visible—unshakable. Six years of school. Two degrees. Eighteen countries. At 24, I’ve accomplished things I never imagined.

As I leave, I reflect on how low I was when I arrived—lonely, uncertain, just trying to keep going. But to see where I am now… that’s nothing but God. From breakdowns to breakthroughs, this journey changed me forever.

If you’re in a valley right now—don’t stop walking. What’s ahead is greater than what’s behind.

California shaped me, and it’ll always be part of my story. I’ll miss this place and am thankful for every connection and the community here that turned solitude into belonging.

What you see in this photo isn’t just two diplomas—it’s evidence of survival, faith, and favor. Just living proof from Fayetteville, NC with bold dreams—and by the grace of God, we rise higher. Thank you to everyone who supported and believed in me.

I’ll share more soon about my next chapter.
📖
#GraceInTransition #MorehouseMan #PepperdineGrad taken in Malibu, California by @themichaelhenry_

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a year ago

Degree ×2. Struggle ×100. But quitting? Never an option. This journey tested everything—my mind, my spirit, my will—but I rose, leveled up, and mastered it. Twice. This isn’t just a degree; it’s proof that no obstacle, no doubt, no distance could break me. Pepperdine, we did it.🎓🙏🏽
 #DoubleTheDegree #Unshakable #MasteredIt

📸: @skylerwagoner taken in Pepperdine University by @themichaelhenry_

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a year ago

“If you can’t fly — then run. If you can’t run — then walk. If you can’t walk — then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Morehouse has me pushed me to the very best version of myself. The hard work was put in and the work is shown below:

🎓B.A. in Political Science
🎓 Summa Cum Laude
🎓Martin Kennedy Founding Aspiring Leaders Scholar
🎓 Macy’s Scholar
🎓Dr. Artis A. White Scholar
🎓Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Enrichment Scholar
🎓 Eugene McGowan Jr Scholar
🎓Ronald Brown Scholar
🎓Dean’s List all 4 years
🎓Howard Thurman Honors Program
🎓Recognized as one of the Top Scholars all 4 years

✅Student Ambassador President
✅Student Ambassador Vice President
✅New Student Orientation Leader
✅Parliamentarian of the Senate
✅ Deputy Executive Secretary for the Student Government Association
✅Outreach and Evangelism Chair for the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Assistant’s Program
✅Public Relations and Digital Ministry Chair for the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Assistant’s Program
✅Study Abroad Ambassador
✅Prison Education Ambassador

📌 Intern for the Office of U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff
📌 American Association for Public Opinion Research Member
📌Amplify Pledge Partnership

🏆 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellow
🏆Pi Sigma Alpha
🏆Phi Beta Kappa
🏆American Association For Public Opinion Research, Student-Faculty Diversity Pipeline Award Recipient.
🏆 Building Better Futures Award Recipient

💡 Full Ride Scholarship to Pepperdine University
💡 Accepted into and received a Graduate Scholarship to George Washington University
💡 Accepted into and received a Graduate Scholarship to American University
💡 Accepted into and received a Graduate Scholarship to Carnegie Mellon
University
💡 Accepted into and received a Graduate Scholarship to Tufts University
💡Accepted into and received a Graduate Scholarship to Columbia University

🌎 Studied abroad in London
🌎Travelled to 9 countries: France, Ghana, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Senegal, Togo, United Kingdom

#Morehouse #Classof2023 #HBCUGrad #Accolades #Leadership

📸 @rapture.visuals taken in Morehouse College by @themichaelhenry_

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3 years ago

Never underestimate yourself.

The same season trying to break me is building me. In all transparency, I was nervous — the height, the fear of falling, wondering if I could actually do this. Truthfully, I almost let doubt talk me out of it.

But growth will have you doing things scared.

I stopped overthinking, just went for it… and ended up doing this successfully 3 times. A reminder to myself: sometimes the things we fear most are the very things we’re meant to conquer. 🦍🧱

#BuiltDifferent #GrowthSeason #TrustTheProcess #FitnessJourney #MentalStrength taken in Malibu, California by @themichaelhenry_

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4 months ago

Quietly leveling up. taken in Los Angeles, California by @themichaelhenry_

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5 months ago

The next level usually asks for something you thought you could keep. by @themichaelhenry_

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6 months ago

Different seasons require different discipline.
I’m in mine right now.
Locked in. No distractions.
Just growth.
#LockedIn #Discipline #InTheLab taken in Locked In by @themichaelhenry_

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7 months ago

Slight. by @themichaelhenry_

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7 months ago

Brick by brick. Quietly.
.
.
.
#fyp #motivation #fitness #healthyliving #mindset by @themichaelhenry_

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7 months ago

Sometimes, when you’ve walked through seasons of heaviness, you have to pour back into yourself.
You have to remind yourself.
You have to look back and truly see how far you’ve come.

This is for me.
But I know I’m not alone in seasons like this. For anyone navigating a similar space, I hope you’ll take a moment to read — and let this encourage you to keep pressing forward.

This post isn’t about likes.
It isn’t about validation, attention, or applause.
And it certainly isn’t about flaunting accomplishments.

This is reflection.
This is gratitude.
This is perspective.

At 25, I’m deeply grateful for the journey and the spaces I’ve been blessed to walk through.

• Two college degrees
• Moved across the country twice
• Traveled to over 18 countries (lived in two)
• Served at the U.S. State Department in the Office of the Chief of Protocol
• Served at the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda with the Public Diplomacy team
• Worked in environments alongside senior leaders and historic institutions
• Taught high school American History
• Now serving in Higher Education

There is so much more I could say, but not every season, assignment, or moment was meant for public display. Some chapters were meant to be lived quietly, grown through privately, and understood only with time.

There were seasons of isolation.
Seasons of unexpected transitions.
Seasons of detours, delays, and uncertainty.
But through it all, progress did not stop.

Still building. Still becoming.

I had to learn to appreciate it all.

The people who walked away.
The people who hurt me.
The people who overlooked me.
The closed doors. The delays. The silence.

Every season shaped me.
Every detour refined me.
He will not wander — Michael will win.
He will not stall — Michael will step.
He will not shrink — Michael will soar.

You’ve made impact, and still are.

Plans may shift. Paths may change.
But purpose remains.

Keep going. This season is not punishment — it is preparation.

Even when the path looks different, trust that you may still be walking in alignment.

#StillBuilding
#SeasonsOfGrowth
#KeepPressing by @themichaelhenry_

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8 months ago

Reel Stories 🎥✨

#Presence #MalibuCA taken in Malibu, California by @themichaelhenry_

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8 months ago

Matthew 7:13–14

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it “

As I was wrapping up last semester and preparing for the next, I received a phone call I didn’t see coming — one that would shape the next chapter of my life. It wasn’t something I was pursuing or expecting in this season. Yet after days of prayer, reflection, and stillness, I heard God clearly and accepted that it was time to move. Everything happened quickly. This decision was not easy.

When I shared the news with my students, many of them wept. I received countless messages, but two in particular stopped me in my tracks:
“Mr. Henry, thank you for showing me that there is a way out.”
“When you came, I had faith to finish. Now that you’re leaving, what do I do?”

I wept with them. I paused. And I felt the weight of impact — theirs and mine.

I didn’t expect this season to end now, but God’s timing rarely mirrors our own. South View High School, thank you for trusting me to teach American History and to steward young lives with care, discipline, and love. I will miss my students deeply.

My work in education is not over — it’s expanding. Teaching was never the destination; it was preparation.

I’m grateful and honored to share that I moved back to Los Angeles, CA yesterday, and tomorrow I’ll officially begin a dual role at Pepperdine University as a Resident Director and Lead Coordinator in the Office of Student Affairs, supporting the Late Night Student Initiative. Less than a year after earning my master’s here, God has brought me back — not as a student, but as a servant in a new capacity.

Another cross-country move in under two weeks. Another leap of faith.

I made a promise to God long ago: wherever He sends me, I will show up fully, make impact, and remain ready when it’s time to transition. This move is not about comfort — it’s about obedience.

Thank you, California.
Thank you, Pepperdine University, for seeing something in me and welcoming me back.

I followed God.
This is the next chapter.

#HigherEducation #Pepperdine taken in Los Angeles, California by @themichaelhenry_

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9 months ago