By Orlando Rodriguez, The Whetstone

It took John Scott a long time to become the man he wanted to be.

“I should have sought out God in my young adult life instead of waiting until I was 36,” he said “But that was the age I began to really understand his word in the Bible.”

Now a security officer at Wesley and the adviser for IMPACT, a young adult ministry organization, Scott said that helping others has become a big part of his life.

“He has been more than just a security officer, more like a role model,” said sophomore Taylor Lynch. “He is that guy on campus that you cannot walk pass with a frown on your face because he will stand in front of you until your day gets better.”

Born and raised in Dover, it was rare that Scott’s mother ever allowed him to miss a church service.

“When my mother could not get us there, she would get the church bus to come pick us up,” he said

Growing up in a household with five siblings, there was never a dull moment.

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“We loved to play kickball with each other for hours,” Scott said. “As children we would rally the other kids from the neighborhood and play until it was time to go in.”

Scott’s childhood dream focused in on a career in politics.

“I wanted to be a politician because they were always controlling a lot of society’s movements and functions,” he said. “As a child I wanted to be the one to make a positive influence because when I was growing up the world was filled with prejudice and jealousy.”

The death of his grandmother hit Scott hard.

“She made a big difference in my life,” Scott said. “She used to baby sit me all the time and to see her go with the Lord really hit me, I still cannot seem to get it out of my head.”

Scott and his three sisters and two brothers came of age during the civil rights era of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

“I went to Caesar Rodney Middle School and it was more whites than blacks,” he said. “My siblings and I were the first blacks to attend school in that district.”

Scott excelled in track and field.

“I was a pretty good mid-distance runner,” he said.

After high school, Scott attended Delaware Community College. His major was criminal justice.

“I worked at a Juvenile Center in the maximum security unit,” Scott said. “In the unit I dealt with murderers and rapists from the ages of 9 to 18. It was so tough at times that I had to take up karate just to protect myself.”

One incident pushed him back to school.

“I was jumped in the Juvenile center by three crack heads,” Scott said. “One cracked me in the head and knocked me out. They were the first to escape the maximum security juvenile center. This caused me to retire from that kind of work.”

Scott decided that he might have a bigger impact by doing “God’s work” rather than criminal justice.

“I went back to school and received my Bachelor’s degree in biblical studies at the Christian World College of Theology,” and online college, Scott said. “I am currently one year into the Master’s program.”

Scott said he could not live without his faith.

“I cannot imagine living without [Christ] because he keeps me grounded,” Scott said. “He has giving me the strength to love my neighbors. He has given me peace and joy and living. Without him is something I cannot imagine.”

Being a role model became his main priority when Scott became a father.

“I have two sons and one daughter,” he said. “I believe that we are put on Earth to produce good fruit and that is why I always wanted to be a father that my children could look up to in every aspect of life.”

Scott’s youngest son, Jermaine, admires his father.

“I know my father very well,” he said. “He is a very hard working, unique, and spiritual man and I try my best to do the same.”

One family reunion stood out the most to Jermaine.

“We went to Great Adventure and my father knew I was not a big fan of rollercoasters and to make sure I was OK, he went on the rollercoasters with me,” he said. “That is a memory I will never forget.”

Some students said that Scott makes Wesley a better place.

“Everything about him says he is a sincere person,” Lynch said. “Talking to him for a simple two minutes will make you realize that his heart really wants to see the Wesley College students do well.”